Death of A Demon, Birth of A
by Mr. Red Hex
Summary: People say death is only the beginning, and for Naruto that statement happens to be infinitely true considering he now is the container to all of greatest Demon Lord's chakra. However no told him of the price that came with it. DISCONTINUED
1. Welcome to My Life

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Chapter 1: Welcome to My World

If there ever was a clash of the titans, it was in Konoha. For seven days and seven nights a demon laid siege on the walls of the village hidden in the leaves. Kyuubi, the Terror King himself attacked Konoha after rising from the depths of Makai with his eight clansmen, who each went to attack a portion of the shinobi infested world.

Under his hellfire, the vast population of Konoha was slain and the dwindling shinobi that were left took up arms against the juggernaut of the demon and even with their combined forces nothing could stop his terrorizing raids.

However, that all stopped when the Yondaime, himself, rode in on his trusted summon Gamabunta, the King Toad. Even though he was the only man who had ever been considered an equal to the fabled Professor, Sandaime by his fellow shinobi, he could not defeat this demon.

Their battle shook the land and the vast forest surrounding the once lush land was now either in flames from Kyuubi's hell torrents or charred after fire was extinguished by Gamabunta.

Finally on the seventh day after much blood, sweat, and tears, the Yondaime caved into his darkest fear, attaching the very soul of the fox to the innocent soul of a child. Deep inside Yondaime knew that Konoha wouldn't respect his wishes, much like Orochimaru didn't honor Sarutobi's wish from him to Hokage rather than the former student, and blame the innocent child for the loss in this battle. Truly this child was being punished more than Kyuubi himself, so Yondaime altered the seal.

There was no true way to kill that is which is already dead, so Yondaime figured a way to send Kyuubi back from which it came, but not before leaving something precious to him. All the chakra of a village or even the world was going to be locked within this child, as some sort of divine intervention from karma.

Kyuubi was going to live an afterlife tortured by those he had tortured while in power and this child was going to live a tortured life for holding his demonic essence from the said demon lord. However, it was for a good cause because without his chakra the Kyuubi couldn't return to the human world, or at least not anytime soon. _'It was better than the alternative,'_ Yondaime concluded as he finished this new seal. At least the child would be able to protect himself if the villagers ever felt too out of line, and Kyuubi would get what he so rightfully deserved in the end, and with those thoughts Yondaime charged with child in hand and sealed the world's greatest menace into a child…

Seven Years Later…

He had that dream again. Just like before, Naruto relived the last thoughts of the man who had sealed him with his cursed blessing. Bittersweet really, because without the man's kindness he wouldn't be here right now after a villager lost himself to his hatred and attacked him disguised as the Old Man.

It had all started when he had come home after being attacked again and the grocery store, and after returning to his rundown apartment after paying double the price for spoiled goods Naruto noticed his door was unlocked. So hiding his food he waited for the man to jump out.

Thinking, _'It'll all be over soon, and if I don't move maybe he'll leave my food alone thinking I'm dead,' _but when the door squeaked open Naruto saw only his most trusted person on this planet, Sandaime Sarutobi. After some small chit chat Naruto found something was off and that's when the imposter sprung his trap and in one quick motion, Naruto's neck was slit and all he heard was, "You deserve this," before he fell back…

However, death never came nor did the cold ground for as soon as Naruto started to topple backward something snapped inside of him. More precisely, the protectorate seal around Kyuubi's pent up chakra slipped to save his life and now before the world stood the sole proprietor of the Biju King Kyuubi chakra.

It wasn't long before Anbu showed up, albeit late as hell after discovering the location of the chakra spike, but they arrived at the scene of the attempted murder only to see Naruto standing over a sniveling man. Even with the mass killing intent radiating off his body, the child stood complete calm, and totally curious of what was happening.

Within the hour, the man was sent to the psychiatric ward to be analyzed for any mental affliction, before being prosecuted for attempted murder, even with most of Konoha going against his case stating something along the lines of, he was probably attacked, but with Sarutobi's urging er… threatening, he was prosecuted and founded guilty but was released under the claims of being mentally insane.

Kyuubi's or rather Naruto chakra broke the man's psyche and he was now spending the rest of his days in a padded white room, replaying the shock of having the equivalent of a holocaust victim's hatred for his torments going off in his mind after being multiplied one thousand times over. Well 'revenge is a dish best served cold' they always said, and this guy was going to spend his whole life over this cold heaping of hate in front of him.

But even with that problem solved, the aftermath from it sprouted more problems and more grievous than the last. What will Naruto do now that he had access to the greatest source of power on this planet and how would the villagers react now that he held the power of their most hated foe and the most disturbing of all was would he help the village that constantly held a knife to his throat and be their loyal protector or would he turn his back on the village that shunned him like Orochimaru did years before?

Sandaime found himself in the proverbial pickle and now had to make a choice, either let Naruto be and watch the boy struggle from afar before he either killed himself and the village from the immense backlash that Kyuubi's chakra would have sent out when released, or watch him turn his back on the village before swearing annihilation on all of its inhabitants. Therefore, Sandaime made a third choice and broke his own oath to never train another student. So Sandaime gathered his almost infinite resources and got the boy a well secure home and began teaching him basic chakra control.

It wasn't long after that did the, for lack of better term, dreams start. It was like watching a movie and remembering parts you have never seen. They looked so familiar and yet Naruto had no memory of ever being in the place he saw, which usually was centered on a land with red skies and large, old Japanese castles.

After telling the Sarutobi of his dreams, the man immediately told him to tell no one else thinking of the horrors that the villagers would do to the child if they found out he could remember what Kyuubi had done while still breathing. Standing by his oath, Naruto trained vigorously until his seventh birthday when he convinced the Hokage to let him become a shinobi.

It was both a joyous and painful thing for the elder man, because Naruto would be swearing his loyalty to this village, but then he was reminded of his other apprentice. Orochimaru was once loyal, but power soon corrupted him and he turned his back on the village so the question was, would Naruto do the same? Shaking his fears away, Sarutobi remembered it was Naruto's choice and holding him back would only hurt the boy's trust in him, so the Sandaime let Naruto join.

So this is where Naruto found himself after his little daydream on the past few years in a class room with people he had only met the day prior. His training with the Hokage forced the lonely boy to grow up fast, and behind his cheery attitude to throw the villagers off their tracks and show them that they could break him, was a boy who analyses every situation as if his life depended on it. So here he finds himself going over his mental notes he had taken on every one around him.

First was the pink haired girl who was in front of him. Haruno Sakura, preteen girl with preteen fantasies on the village heartthrob. After only one day Naruto made a conclusion about her, stay away. Not that the girl was ugly or anything, on the contrary she was quite cute and would be a beauty one day, but her helpless infatuation with a certain boy would only slow him down. Aside from her open love life, Sakura seemed like she would make an excellent kunoichi if she paid more attention to her training than boys, but then again she was only preteen girl like…

Yamanaka Ino, the second person who caught his eye in the class, blonde like him, the pretty girl would be simply stunning like Sakura, but she also fell under the category of DO NOT pursue, seeing as she too was smitten by a certain male. Unlike her friend, who had kind eyes, Ino had the calculating brain like all the seers in her family of psychic shinobi. From his intel from the Sandaime, Ino may very well be the strongest kunoichi of her generation at the time and the look in her eyes didn't dissuade that notion.

Moving on, Naruto's eyes fell on the last female of his class, Hyuuga Hinata. The cute girl was pitifully shy, but under her shaking voice and uncertain eyes was that of a true beauty like the other kunoichi noted before, and being the heir to the Hyuuga Household and fearsome Byakugan, it was ironic that she was shy and uncertain unlike her prideful clansmen. It was that trait that made her stand out and from what Naruto discovered from previous meeting with the Hyuuga Household that the smug clan was by far some of the most intolerable people he had ever met. Hinata was different though, she didn't have her all seeing eyes on preteen boys like the other girls, but instead they were on the ground. Given her heritage she could be the strongest academy student if she would come out of her shell a little and maybe even strongest genin given her parentage, but fate was cruel.

Moving his eyes from the girl beside him Naruto looked on to the male population of the class starting with the sleeping child beside him.

Nara Shikamaru, was a lazy bum at first glance but as Naruto observed him longer, he noticed that the true reason he came off like that was because he was just not motivated to pursue this career. The most ironic part about it was, that underneath the lazy cover was a true shinobi genius just waiting to come out, but too bad if he was too lazy to dig it out.

Moving on to the slightly larger child beside him Naruto rested his gaze on Akimichi Chouji. The class 'fatass' was far from the glutton he made himself out to be… sorta. He was an Akimichi and with that came the burden of being larger than everyone else, but with it came his true advantage… size. Within him came the potential to be the strongest genin (physically) in the whole class, and if he ever grew over his self-conscious problems he would truly be a deadly force.

Looking up Naruto's gaze landed on the class' animal lover, Inuzuka Kiba. The class clown and animal lover was a true beast on the inside and his taijutsu showed it. During the classroom spar, he crushed a no name kid within seconds using his clan's techniques and gloated about it afterward reducing the boy to tears. His pride would be his downfall, but if he survived that encounter Kiba would become a true shinobi down to the core and with his loss of pride, he would be a valuable asset to the village.

Next was Aburame Shino, quiet as a mouse, but had an aura of the strong silent type. He was quiet, conserved, and calculating like most trained shinobi and could be a bingo book candidate in time, but his only downfall was his isolation and other than that there was not much Naruto could say about him.

Moving his gaze to the last person on his list of stand out faces, was the village tragedy story and heartthrob Uchiha Sasuke. Not only was he the only heir to the Sharingan in the village, but he was also far more advanced than an academy student should be, example being able to use a _Goukakyuu _(Grand Fireball) during a ninjutsu exam scorching the target and most of the wood around it. He was cocky, but Naruto had to give it to him; he had been in the first place seat so long that he could be, but Naruto was here to change that. Uchiha Sasuke just made a rival and his name was…

"Uzumaki Naruto…," called Umino Iruka as he called rolled. The man's expression changed to one of hatred as he called the name, but Naruto wasn't affected, he had far better things to do than worry about those who had nothing but hate for him.

"Here," was the boy's nonchalant reply as class started.

Welcome to my life…

Read, Review, and Repeat…

Author's Note: Found some time and I wanted to start a new fic. Apparently that week of Biology was the hardest hill and I passed so it's smooth sailing from now on. This is Cado Unus redone in a new light, some of the small elements, if you noticed, and I'll have some new twists coming up. One hint I'd like to state now is Naruto's powers, the seal that is on him now still has elements of the original seal from the Manga/Anime. What I mean is that it holds more than just chakra, but has a tenant of some sorts. And no, it isn't Kyuubi, so I'll leave you with that.

Another Author's Note: This chapter has been read through and edited by Dragon and Sword Master so please if you could give him a big thanks because after seeing my errors I wanted to cringe. Really though his editing not only made my point clearer and easier to understand, but the whole chapter flowed so much better so man thanks again for making this chapter at least ten times better.

Black Saint


	2. Behind The Smiling Mask?

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

"Uzumaki Naruto…," called Umino Iruka as he called rolled. The man's expression changed to one of hatred as he called the name, but Naruto wasn't affected, he had far better things to do than worry about those who had nothing but hate for him.

"Here," was the boy's nonchalant reply as class started.

Welcome to my life…Chapter 2: Behind The Smiling Mask?

Naruto sat in the back of the classroom out of habit and because the elevated view provided the best spot to collect intel, not only from his sensei but from his classmates as well. Even before he got settled in, the boy's danger sense, which he had grown over the years to test a person's tolerance level for him, was going off a mile a minute.

Smoothing the invisible creases in his deep blue pants, Naruto felt his black shirt growing incredibly hot under the teacher's gaze. Shifting his blue vest that was over his black shirt, Naruto tried to play off his nervousness to the unbearable imaginary heat.

The class rolled on like usual and Uzumaki found himself victim to Iruka's deep resentment. Apparently the young man had lost his parents to the Kyuubi attack, leaving him orphaned. The young Chuunin was a bit more than bitter that Naruto, or more exactly, the Kyuubi-vessel, was favored by the Hokage himself rather than left out in the cold like all the other orphans.

Throughout most of the dry history lesson, Iruka made periodic attacks at Naruto's intellect with questions far above an academy student's level. The class, who was usually asleep by now, was fully aware of the battle of wills going on between the 'new kid' and their sensei.

After answering a particularly difficult question, Naruto silently thanked Sandaime for pounding into his head that this was the age of espionage warfare and information was the sharpest sword.

Iruka was stumped after a mental game of cat and mouse, so the older man decided that he would just quit trying to defeat the child mentally and go onto the physical level, because there hadn't been anyone in the last half decade that was this well-informed in the mind and gifted on the battlefield.

So after filing the children out of the class, Iruka made his way down to the training patch and started the exercises. It was simple, the children would work on the basics and Iruka, as their sensei, would point out their mistakes if any. However, the one child that he wanted to humiliate proved to be a prodigy in the works.

Even though Naruto studied under the Hokage, in both chakra control and all the information a child could possible need in shinobi life; Naruto was never taught anything that he could physically use in combat. Maybe because of the deep guilt that Sarutobi had buried in his heart over his estranged pupil or if the older man didn't want to tempt Naruto to follow the said student's fall from favor, but all the Sandaime armed Naruto with was a quick wit and understanding of chakra and from there, it was up to Naruto.

So needless to say that Naruto was not the sharpest shot with a kunai, unlike the Uchiha prodigy. Iruka wasted no time to point out Naruto's mistakes in a rather loud manner. After a bit of teasing at the blonde's expense, Naruto corrected his hold on the kunai and within a few tries, his accuracy was steadily catching up with the class star.

Taijutsu wasn't any better than accuracy training. His stance was poor, and compared to the prowess of the more gifted students, Kiba, Sasuke, Shino, and Chouji, Naruto's ability's weren't nearly up to par. This was painfully made apparent to Naruto when the Akimichi male almost pounded Naruto's head into the hard earth with his _Bubun __Baika no Jutsu_ (partial multi-size) fist. For the duration of the fight Naruto was either using his speed advantage to land sloppy blows to the larger boy, or use his agility to dodge the earth moving punches. Either way Naruto couldn't win the fight, only to hope for a draw at best.

Watching the blonde, Iruka couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty. He had pitted the boy against a student who had a distinct advantage. Unlike Chouji, Sasuke, Kiba, Shino; or any other student for that matter, Naruto did not have parents, or in one case a high class scroll, to teach him the finer point's taijutsu, Naruto instead stopped dodging and let out a breath, as he was already formulating a plan.

'_Old Man always said that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link and right now I have two. The accuracy can be solved with more practice, but the taijutsu will need some guidance… But who will teach me? Old Man is out, and besides him I really don't have any other options. I could try to…,' _but before Naruto's mind could pull together a plan, Iruka decided to end today's lesson with a ninjutsu test. Since Sasuke was last the day before, it was Naruto's turn to go first.

Blinking in surprise as Naruto's thoughts focused on the task at hand the boy walked toward the stationary training logs that had been battered by Chouji, slashed by Kiba, turned to saw dust by Shino curtsey of the kakaichu insects, and burnt to a crisp by the Uchiha savior of course. Walking up to a less battered post Naruto could hear the other students in the background.

Ignoring the other student's whispers, Naruto focused his chakra into the only gift that he had received in his life. A chakra pentacle used by his father as a good luck charm was the only thing that Naruto received out of an act of kindness.

Sandaime had been the one to give the gift, was also left with the burden and responsibility of telling the boy the truth; the truth that he was the son of the late Yondaime.

Unlike the Sarutobi head's prediction, Naruto didn't go on a bloody rampage and kill countless Konoha citizens for their acts against him, but instead the boy thanked him for not keeping the truth from him. It appeared as though the incident had brought more than just a physical change to the child; Naruto had mentally matured for more than any child his age as well. To him, if this village meant enough to his father for him to give his only born son for it protection then that was more than enough for him to try and follow in the same footsteps.

So now Naruto stood before his classmates holding the five pointed amulet, focusing his chakra into it. Poising his arm forwards, Naruto said aloud, "I will only say this once so pay attention, this is my _Charka Shokkou_ (Chakra Weaver)," and with that a long extension of charka shot out from each of the five points on the pentacle.

"One, _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki _(Chakra Weaver: Strike)," Naruto said as he dashed towards the wooden post. The wisps of chakra that formed from around the pentacles point closed around Naruto's clenched fist before he made contact with the wood.

The log's top was ripped from the ground by the punch that had left the bottom in a perfect flat edge. As the log flew backwards, Naruto gathered his chakra towards the center of the _Chakra Shokkou _before saying, "Two, _Chakra Shokkou: Tama _(Chakra Weaver: Shot)!" The built-up chakra released in a solid burst, flying straight through the log before releasing a shockwave that literally broke down the larger portion of the log before firing it back at Naruto.

The children surrounding Naruto watched in awe and shock as the 'new kid's' jutsu just destroyed a two hundred pound training post. The most effected was none other than Uchiha Sasuke himself. _'How… how does he just come up and pass me like that!? I'm an Uchiha, Konoha's elite the strongest… How? How is he so much like…?'_But before Sasuke could finish his thoughts they were cut off by the sound of Naruto being bombarded by the shrapnel from the destroyed log.

Iruka was about to jump in and protect Naruto, but it seemed that the younger boy already had it covered. Letting the compressed chakra in the center of his _Chakra Shokkou _flow outward, Naruto redistributed his energies throughout the pentacle. Linking the edges of his chakra beams, Naruto spread the chakra in a thick sheet across the connected pentagon.

"_Chakra Shokkou: Tate _(Chakra Weaver: Shield)," was all Naruto said as the pieces of wood collided with the shield before being disintegrated by the jutsu. Dropping his throbbing hand, Naruto smirked as he looked at the Uchiha. _'It was worth it, knocking that arrogant smile off his face,' _Naruto thought to himself as he bit back the urge to hold his chakra burned arm.

The three moves, each inspired by Konoha's three Sanin, _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki _was from Sandaime's stories of Tsunade and her monstrous strength, and after hearing how much the abilities help or hurt them Naruto knew that he had to make his own version. The _Chakra Shokkou: Tate _was inspired by Jiraiya and his uncanny ability to make his hair into a living shield, and after being at the receiving end of the villagers' mistreatment Naruto figured it would be wise to develop a defensive jutsu. Last the _Chakra Shokkou: Tama _was inspired by the last Sanin, Orochimaru…

Even though he is Konoha's greatest villain, Uchiha Itachi being a close second, he was by far the greatest ninjutsu user the village had ever seen. For instance, his _Sen'eijashu_ (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands) had killed masses of shinobi, both of Konoha and other villages, without them coming within three meters of his body. So why have the idea of leaving a superior ranged jutsu out of your arsenal just because it reminds you of your enemy?

But these techniques didn't come without a price, and seeing as Naruto was nowhere near the skill level of any of the three; he paid a steep price. When used back to back, they channeled so much chakra through Naruto's arm that he wouldn't be able to use the arm again until the ruptured tenketsu healed, which was normally a day or so thanks to the regenerative powers Kyuubi's chakra had left him with.

Walking right past the Uchiha, and making sure to keep his tender arm as still as possible, Naruto met eyes with him for a slip second to tell him that 'the bet was on', before joining back with the class without waiting for his reply.

Needless to say that infuriated Sasuke, along with his groupies, and just made Naruto somewhat of a hero to the male population of the class. Now Naruto went from being to the 'new kid' to being 'the cool jutsu kid'. Therefore, for the rest of the class he was pestered with questions like, "can you teach me?"

"No," was the answer he gave each time, and like all the others they left him labeling the boy as an ass. So the class fell back into a normal atmosphere… sorta.

Now that Sasuke was glaring daggers at Naruto, instantly making him evil incarnate in the majority of the female class' book and as for the boys, only those who didn't care about being a ninja, or those who just didn't find his abilities a threat to them, tolerated the boy. The rest just didn't want anything to do with him after he wouldn't give let them in on _his_ jutsu.

Class ended without anyone attacking Naruto out of anger and Iruka held Naruto back as the class left. The one's Naruto labeled his 'tolerables' lifted an eyebrow to Naruto before leaving. Turning to face Iruka, Naruto prepared himself for a verbal assault on where he learned the jutsu or that 'they' had their on him, the demon spawn. But to his surprise Iruka simply bowed, before saying…

"I'd like to apologize for my behavior earlier. Even though Hokage-sama had told the village their was no reason to fear you, but sometimes it takes falling on your face to see what's right in front of you." Looking up Iruka could make out a little behind Naruto's usual happy mask and see the shock on the lonely boy. The world had dealt a harder blow to the boy in front of him, than himself. Seeing as Iruka had known his parents for a while and was just ignored by the villager, but Naruto never met either of his parents and was known as Konoha's demon.

Needless to say that Naruto was shocked, but he hid it behind his smiling mask. Iruka could see small segments of the boy who put on a face for the village, and felt even worse. Therefore, doing what he always did when he was feeling down, he decided to go for ramen. Inviting Naruto to come with him, Iruka didn't expect Naruto hastily reply.

"Of course Iruka-sensei," the boy yelled, dropping his mask, but with as quick as it fell it was back in place and the only proof that it even fell it was the red tinge on Naruto's cheeks. Following Iruka out of the class, Naruto couldn't help but feel the villagers' eyes on him, but he persevered.

Arriving at the ramen stand, Naruto wasted no time in robbing Iruka on his weekly pay. Grimacing at his growing financial problems, Iruka tried to make some small talk to take his mind off of the thought of bread and water for a week.

"So Naruto how did you get so good at ninjutsu? Come to think of it you did use hand seals to activate your jutsu, how did you do that?" Iruka asked but immediately regretted it when he saw Naruto's expression change.

'_So he didn't want to be my friend after all…,' _Naruto thought sadly as his eyes drooped. Looking in retrospect, Iruka was mentally handing his ass to himself, when Naruto abruptly turned his gaze to the man. All thoughts of comforting his estranged student vanished from his eyes under the boys gaze.

It was like fire burning, all consuming, and eventually the boys eye smothered Iruka under its anger. Only when Iruka felt the full, crushing weight of his mistake was when Naruto decided to leave.

Naruto, who had been forced to run for his life over the years that he grew up, had developed a 'sixth sense'. It, or rather his chakra, flooded the area keeping a constant check of the surrounds and alerted Naruto if anything, other chakra presences and killing intent, enter the area. Combine it with his anger and the effect was increased ten-fold. And for once the villagers or 'self-righteous' shinobi didn't bother Naruto, because of one frightening fact… Kyuubi's or rather Naruto chakra was boiling over and spilling over into the surrounding area. The usual sedated presence of his chakra was almost lashing out on the surroundings as if it were trying to let out some of the anger raging inside its host.

Walking the dank alleys of Konoha to avoid hurting any of the citizens of the village and reaffirming their belief that he was the demon seed, Naruto grew increasingly irritated at the presence following him.

Thinking the mystery man was Iruka, Naruto lashed out with his _Chakra Shokkou_, not caring that his arm was screaming bloody murder as his chakra shot through it. Loading a powerful _Chakra Shokkou: Tama_ that was aimed slightly to the side so that it would just scare Iruka off rather than obliterate his body; however, to his surprise when Naruto made eye contact with 'Iruka' it wasn't 'Iruka' at all. For that matter, it wasn't a man at all.

Before him stood the timid Hyuuga Hinata who like always had her eyes on the ground. Calming his nerves, Naruto disassembled his _Chakra Shokkou_ and lowered his arm. Clutching the throbbing arm, Naruto mentally berated himself while holding the demonic chakra at bay. _'Last thing I need is the Hyuuga in my ass for harming their heir' _Naruto told himself while thinking of the consequences of Hinata seeing Kyuubi's imprisoned chakra.

Hinata took a few hesitant steps to the wounded boy, hoping to soothe him and maybe convince him to help her. She was weak, that much she admitted to herself… but she was tired of hearing it from her family. She was tired of seeing the disappointment in her father's eyes and she was tired of seeing herself alone…

Not stopping when Naruto's piercing, catlike gaze met hers or when the feral growl he let out as a warning for her to stop, Hinata slowly reached into her pouch and careful not to make any sudden movements, pulled out the healing salve.

Specifically made by the Hyuuga clan, the salve could heal ruptured tenketsu at a remarkable pace, which was needed because more often then not, an advanced Jyuuken technique would almost destroy the chakra holes beyond human repair. Rubbing the cream onto the pained skin, Hinata felt Naruto calm down while the cool goo did its work.

Uttering a thanks Naruto quickly back away and was about to leave when he heard Hinata's voice. "Wait," the girl said trying her best not to stutter. Standing straight and tall she looked into Naruto's curious eyes before speaking.

"I'm Hyuuga Hinata, heir to the Hyuuga Clan," Naruto simply nodded and was about to take his leave when he was stopped again.

"And I wanted to know if you would…," and thinking that it would be just like before Naruto was about to snap when he heard Hinata finish.

"If you'd be my friend…," and with that, the shy Hinata's words were out in the open and a confused Naruto was left in front of them. The anger seemly vanished and looked into the girl's eyes. Watching her 'eep' and turn her gaze was all the confirmation Naruto needed to know that her offer was genuine.

It baffled Naruto to think that _the_ Hyuuga Heir wanted _him_ as a friend, but after seeing the look in her eye, Naruto's soul instantly connected with hers. She knew the pains of being ostracized, because of her birth. Unlike him though, she was expected to be the greatest the village had to offer while he was expected to betray them in a cold, demonic fury. They both failed to realize that expectation and were persecuted for it and it was at that moment that Naruto made the connection, and with that sudden epiphany Naruto thought_, 'Maybe having a friend is better after all.'_

Naruto was about to tell Hinata of his decision, when the long silence became too much for the girl and, with shimmering eyes, she was about to make a break for it when Naruto said, "I guess having a friend won't be too bad…,"

Looking up, Hinata saw past the bad sarcasm and saw behind the smiling mask that Naruto put on for the sake of the village. Looking at the softly smiling boy, she smiled too and that was the start of a life long friendship.

Read, Review, and Repeat

Authors Notes: Hey thanks for reviewing the last chapter, the feedback I got was good and I only hope it will get better. Aside from the reviews I just wanna say, for those Naru/Hina fan don't get too happy, this sense won't automatically make this a Naru/Hina fic. Even though I am a Naru/Hina lover and am leaning that way, the overflow of crappy Naru/Hina fics are making distance myself from the pairing. If they will get together, it won't be over the clichéd training trip Seeing Past ;). I heard somewhere if you can't laugh at yourself you aren't really living so yeah…. It will be noted though they are going to be lifelong friends, and if they don't hook up Hinata will take up a sister role with Naruto. Also please **NO REVIEWS ON PAIRINGS PLEASE** I want to make that decision by myself and not be pressured into a decision.

Jutsu/Technique Logue: I decided to put this up for 2 reasons. 1, to help me remember all of Naruto and co.s' moves, and 2, to help anyone who don't really understand the effects of a jutsu.

_Chakra Shokkou _(Chakra Weaver): The starting phase to a majority of Naruto's jutsu. It is the basic square for his arsenal. It was created for two reasons. 1, because the Sharingan can't copy it, and 2, because Naruto's extensive chakra growth makes it hard for him to mold his chakra into small spaces, ex. Jutsu, so this will help him actively mold his chakra so he can gain the control to used conventional jutsu.

_Chakra Shokkou: Dageki _(Chakra Weaver: Strike): A variant of the_ Chakra Shokkou _inspired by Tsunade (and by extension of manga series Chad from Bleach), like stated above. A display of awesome strength that is exceptional for a child, but doesn't have the sheer destructive force of the Legendary Healer… yet.

_Chakra Shokkou: Tate _(Chakra Weaver: Shield): A variant of the _Chakra Shokkou_ inspired by the Perverted Hermit himself, Jiraiya (and by extension Inoue from Bleach). A defensive technique that focus chakra around the five pentacle points of the _Chakra Shokkou _before spreading even thought the weaver to make powerful shield. Noted it's not impenetrable… yet.

_Chakra Shokkou: Tama _(Chakra Weaver: Shot): A variant of the _Chakra Shokkou_ inspired by the last Sanin Orochimaru (and by extension various Hollows from Bleach), and is the most versatile to date. Usually used as a long range jutsu, but will looked into further later…

That's it for my rant.

Random Comment: P.S. Thanks my editor for doing another incredible job on this chapter (the cringes where back with vengeance), and for Dragon and Swords Master his 'spidey sense' came from years of being a corner fox if you know what I mean ;).

Black Saint


	3. As The Years Go By

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

Looking up, Hinata saw past the bad sarcasm and saw behind the smiling mask that Naruto put on for the sake of the village. Looking at the softly smiling boy, she smiled too and that was the start of a life long friendship.

Chapter 3: As The Years Go By…

'_It's been five years,' _Naruto thought to himself while he sparred with Hinata. _'Time sure has flown,'_ the boy thought to himself while weaving through Hinata's deadly and accurate _Jyuuken_ (Gentle Fist) strikes. Looking at the determined look on the girl's face, Naruto couldn't help but let his mind wonder. _'Funny how five years ago, Hinata was too scared to even think about having that type of look on her face,' _Naruto said to himself while holding back a laugh, which came out more like a sort of strangled chuckle, which in turn only served to deepen the scold-like look on the girl's face causing her to redoubled her efforts.

Much had changed in the five years after the faithful night that Naruto made his first friend, and as clichéd as it sounds, Naruto's life seemed to brighten from that point on. Even with all the drama he went through inside and outside of the academy, ignoring both the ignorant villagers who couldn't see his pain and Iruka's attempts to befriend him.

Naruto soon found himself spending most of his free time with Hinata just exploring the town, and like a good friend, Naruto found out that Hinata was having trouble at home because they thought she was too weak, so Naruto decided that they could train together so that way, everyone would benefit.

What seemed like a good idea at the time turned out to be a horrible idea, at least in Naruto's opinion when he final got Hinata to let out her inner shinobi after a speech that slapped some sense into the kind-hearted girl.

'_This isn't a game Hinata. You, your comrades, and your village could all be lost if you don't have the resolve needed to do what you have to. Yes it is good to be kind, but there is a time and place for all things and the battlefield isn't a place to be kind. So you have to make a choice: either give up on being a shinobi or harden your resolve and show me what you can do.' _Those were Naruto's exact words on that day Hinata finally stopped hiding behind her own inferiority complex and let her real self shine after that. From that point on, it had only been uphill for the girl.

With Naruto's help, she was able to master the _Jyuuken_ she had been taught and with the help of the 'closet prankster,' she was able to steal some of the more advanced _Jyuuken_ scrolls without the Main Family finding out. Taking a note from her partner's playbook, Hinata decided to work on her own techniques instead of basing her whole arsenal solely on just what she was taught.

Researching everything on chakra that she could find, Hinata couldn't find any inspiration for a new jutsu until she saw Naruto use his chakra. It wasn't the _Chakra Shokkou_ or its variations that caught her eye, but the way his chakra seemed to constantly overflow from his body and act as an early warning system.

From there on, it was a domino-effect as Hinata figured out a way to release her chakra in a similar field that surrounded her hands. The field acted like her personal Jyuuken amplifier and the results from her first test were shocking. In a family spar, Hinata used the amplifier on every finger and was able to effectively use Jyuuken from all of her fingers and close tenketsu with the slightest touch. Needless to say, Hanabi was quickly defeated with the newly dubbed _Jyuutesaki _(Gentle Fingers), and the turmoil growing in the Hyuuga Household subsided…for now at least.

Naruto, on the other hand, got more than he originally thought he would get out of this friendship. Hinata, being the friend that she was, taught Naruto some of the basics to a good taijutsu form like a stable base, and hands in a ready position, but Naruto refused to learn Jyuuken when the girl offered saying, "Jyuuken is your family taijutsu and I doubt I'm ready to join your family Hinata." The mere implication left Naruto smirking and Hinata beet red before the girl got Naruto back by closing a few well placed tenketsu points, freezing the boy right where he was standing.

From the hints that Hinata gave, Naruto used what he was naturally given to form his own taijutsu style that, much to his surprise, came out to be a lot like the Hyuuga's Jyuuken. But unlike the Hyuuga's, Naruto didn't have the Byakugan, so he used his overflowing chakra as a screen that reacts to both chakra and killing intent inside its set area. Using this screen, Naruto was able to strike using the overflowing chakra to coat each of his blows. When used, it had a few surprising effects. One being able to distort anyone trying to mold their chakra when his chakra coated fist came too close to chakra trying to mold. This had a particularly vexing effect on Hinata who found it increasingly harder to use her family's taijutsu when Naruto could just cancel it out by simply bringing his fist near hers.

The other effect was rather cool, or so Naruto thought. Because it was his chakra that was constantly flooding the area around him, Naruto had a limited control over his natural chakra element in the area, or specifically the air that was in his chakra's territory. After a little practice Naruto was able to make 'air strikes' in the area without molding the _Junshuu Chakra_ (Territory Chakra), but just guiding it with something like a kick or punch. It went extremely well with Naruto new Taijutsu form which he named _Hakke: Kenchoken_ (Eight Divinations: Striking Fist), after its parent style _Hakke: Jyuuken_.

Nevertheless, true to his kitsune nature due to the after effects of his binding to Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto developed a way to mold his overflowing chakra, _Junshuu Chakra_, so that it could cover the area with a genjutsu. After that same development, Naruto began to work with the genjutsu field until he was actively able to disguise the whole area with regular _Bunshin_, which in turn stopped Mizuki from embarrassing him in class because he couldn't compress his chakra into a _Bunshin_.

Back to the ongoing duel with Hinata, Naruto found himself being pummeled by Hinata's _Jyuutesaki _and used his _Hakke: Kenchoken_ to distort her tenketsu closing attacks before hitting her with a double handed open palm strike, and then used his _Junshuu Chakra _to push the girl back and stun her for a second with a mass amount chakra overflowing her system. Watching the girl lose control of her chakra within seconds, Naruto sent a pulse through his _Junshuu Chakra, _effectively blinding the girl's Byakugan, before making a hasty retreat.

Shaking the spot from her eyes, Hinata looked around for Naruto, before swearing silently when she could find him. _'All-out assault is the only way I can beat Naruto,' _Hinata thought to herself before scanning the area for Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra_. Sighing when she couldn't detect it Hinata knew that Naruto was probably setting up some type of trap outside the range of her Byakugan.

Originally Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra _proved to be more of a hindrance when fighting Hinata's doujutsu, because even with all of its benefits, it was like a homing beacon for Hinata's eyes to zone in on. In order to counter that, Naruto began experimenting on ways to make his constantly overflowing chakra less noticeable. In the end he began to let the chakra blend with the natural chakra that every living thing gives off.

Now what started as a hindrance is now an effective weapon against all doujutsu. Naruto could now almost completely hide his presence to the Byakugan and if Hinata got too close to beating him; he could flare up his _Junshuu Chakra_ and blind the girl while making a quick escape to regroup.

Watching from the Byakugan's blind spot, Naruto knew that even with his chakra completely concealed to Hinata that if she saw his body, she would spot him and his plan would be ruined. Closing in on his prey, Naruto could practically taste the girl's anxiety. _'Good she can feel my presence, but can't find me,' _Naruto thought mentally applauding the girl, before springing his trap. Flaring his _Junshuu Charka_, and blinding the girl before molding the surrounding chakra into an area affecting genjutsu.

Hinata was surrounded by darkness, and knowing Naruto, he probably had double layered the genjutsu so that everyone on the outside would only see the trees surrounding them. Steeling herself, Hinata bought some time for herself by saying, "Dirty trick Naruto, I swear if I find you I'll show you how much Jyuuken can hurt." Waiting for Naruto to reply, hoping his voice would give away his location.

"Come on Hinata, you can do better than that," Naruto said, but to Hinata's dismay, his voice came from every direction. Scrunching her face, Hinata used her chakra like Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra_ in hopes that she could dodge his attack. But right as Naruto entered her small zone, she knew he was moving too fast for her to counter or dodge. Expelling chakra from her body, Hinata made a silent vow to finish learning Kaiten to stop something like this from ever happening again when Naruto suddenly stopped.

With his illusion wavering, Naruto had little time to bring up a pulse in his _Junshuu Chakra_ to blind Hinata so he could make a clean get away before a heavy pressure gripped his head. It was like someone had his mind in a vice grip. It didn't take long for Naruto to figure out who it was and when the realization dawned on him he muttered a mental_, '…Ino…,' _in a pain-filled voice before he heard_, 'the one and only,'_ as the pressure doubled.

Watching as his genjutsu fell, Naruto looked at the last member of his opponent's team, and was pissed to see that the pink haired girl was able to crack his genjutsu in such a short time.

The two girls had originally swore not to talk to Naruto, but after hearing only good praise from Hinata, and seeing how much the girl had grown; they revised their earlier verdict. Both came to Naruto and Hinata's little sparring group in hopes to get stronger and maybe catch Sasuke's eye, but that soon changed when they found themselves too tired to even think about the boy.

Within the first week, they both were wearing weights like their two friends and actively participating in new methods to use their chakra to suit their needs.

Sakura, with her near perfect control quickly picked up some of the genjutsu she had gotten from Hinata, who in turn swiped them from the Hyuuga library while she got the advanced _Jyuuken_ scrolls. The only thing keeping her from using them were her small reserves, so Naruto took it upon himself to raise everyone's reserves including his own. This led to them doing a set of brutal water walking and tree climbing drills that not only raised their chakra reserves but also their stamina. Now the drills were used as a warm up for the day, and Sakura had more than enough chakra to use the more advanced genjutsu.

Ino on the other had, stuck with her family jutsu but used them in more inventive ways. With increased reserves and control over her chakra, Ino began experimenting with different ways to use her mind-related jutsu. The result was the ability to create a link with anyone within her target range that couldn't put up a barrier to block her probing. The jutsu, _Omoi Burijji_ (Mind Bridge), link allowed her access to another person's mind, with her leaving her body, but it sacrificed her ability to actively control someone. So instead she fell back on her psychology classes with her father and learned to use a form of gentle persuasion. Another side effect of the link was her ability to attack the person's mind by creating pressure from kicking up too many thoughts at once.

With the three girl's combined powers being used against him, Naruto knew that he was about to be screwed when his chakra pulse fell giving them an opening to attack. But as soon as he did, a shadow swept over him protectively before pulling him back under its dark grip breaking Ino's connection with his mind.

Shaking the remainders of Ino's chakra induced headache away, Naruto turned to Shikamaru and said with a smirk, "What took you so long?" And the boy then said his catch phrase in response before turning to his lifelong friend Chouji and nodding. It looked as if they had a plan, and by the looks of it, he was going to like it.

Creating another genjutsu with his _Junshuu Chakra_, Naruto knew that Sakura had sensed it and turned to Shikamaru, who was hiding with him, nodded which signaled that step one was complete. Turning to Chouji, Naruto smiled when the larger boy, who surrounded his body with chakra, waited for the girls ready to give them the surprise of their lives.

The two boys didn't want to join Naruto's little spar group until they started seeing Ino's progress. The girl was starting to act strange, or at least more strange than usual. She talked of Sasuke less, and she was beginning to nag them less on their material things and more on training. Therefore, Shikamaru's analytical mind couldn't take not knowing anymore and decided to investigate while bringing Chouji along too. From there they were hooked and stayed ever since.

Much to the elder Nara's surprise, Shikamaru actually took his training a step further and asked his father to help him train. The shocked older man couldn't help, but nod his head in confirmation before teaching his son some of the finer points of 'shadow bending'. For someone so lazy it was surprising that Shikamaru picked it up quickly and was now able to transport through his shadows, and do much more than just make his opponents mimic him when he got a hold of them.

Chouji, on the other hand, wasn't too thrilled about working so hard without being able to eat his chips, but after the first few days he got over it. Especially when he started losing some weight and attracting some attention from the opposite sex. The once 'big boned child' was now just a bit bigger than his lithe friend Shikamaru and had picked a new way to use his family techniques. Instead of bloating his body to increase the strength of his blows, Chouji took a left from Naruto's _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_ and used his chakra to surround his arm in a bloated fist shape increasing his strength to one even higher than Naruto's.

Feeling his genjutsu start to crumble, Naruto signaled to Shikamaru that the girls had taken the bait, and instead of waiting for Sakura to break the genjutsu; they had Chouji come barreling out in his protective cocoon of molded chakra.

Instantly recognizing the revised meat tank, the girls jumped out of the way knowing how much damage the rolling ball of chakra could do. Normally a kid, with the exception of Naruto, didn't have the reserves needed to produce enough chakra to support something like that, but ever since Chouji started training, his reserves were only second to Naruto's. It turned out that the calories he soaked up while eating chips did hold chakra, but now that they were gone, they left his body more room to store chakra without having to burn the calories to obtain it.

Looking up, Shikamaru mentally patted himself on the back as the plan fell together. Looking at the girls' shadows, lengthened now that the girls had jumped into the air exposing them to more sunlight, Shikamaru connected his shadow with there's as they approached, capturing them without causing too many injuries. Naruto and Chouji then moved into the 'checkmate' position, as Shikamaru called it, while Shikamaru struggled to hold the girls. Once done the girls knew that they lost and admitted defeat.

"Why does this happen every time!" Ino yelled to no one in particular while stomping the ground. "Our strategy was perfect; we attacked and subdued Shikamaru and Chouji while Hinata held off Naruto until we could all take him. Why didn't it work?" Ino yelled. Chouji, who had taken a liking to the girl, was trying to pacify the infamous Yamanaka temper. Sighing, Ino conceded to the boy's wishes much to his pleasure, but still demanded an explanation which Shikamaru supplied.

"It was simple. I anticipated your move and we let ourselves be beaten, before coming to Naruto's aid and setting a trap for you. It fit perfect really, knowing Sakura's natural ability to detect genjutsu we set it so that she would come to the genjutsu we set as bait and when was cracking it we attacked catching you totally off guard," Shikamaru said, apparently not seeing Chouji making signals for him to shut up. Not paying any mind to the growing killing intent coming from the girls, Shikamaru went as far as to say, "You know being that predictable will be the death of you," but then realized what a jam he was in. Naruto and Chouji were long gone and he was face to face with three pissed off and bloodthirsty kunoichi.

After about ten minutes, Naruto and Chouji crept back after the killing intent disappeared. There was an ominous air over area they had christened 'Shikamaru's Hollow' after their POW comrade. When they entered the clearing, they saw the three girls all sitting intently watching the boy squirm against the ropes that tied him to the tree. As Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra _filled the area, the blonde winced when his chakra came in contact with Shikamaru's.

From the feel of it, Hinata had closed some of the most painful tenketsu on the boy's body and from the far off look on his face both boys shudder as they thought_, 'Sakura's genjutsu.' _Moving to help their friend, both boys were surprised that the girls were fine with them helping Shikamaru instead of trying to stop them and they wisely kept their mouths shut.

After releasing the captive boy, Shikamaru began his recap on what happened, starting with Hinata disabling him before Ino battered his mental defenses just enough for Sakura to place a genjutsu on his mind. Apparently the mere though of the genjutsu reduced the boy to a shivering pile of mush, and only increased the fear/respect Naruto and Chouji had for their female training partners.

Dismissing the meeting, all parties left to their homes sore. The Ino, Shika, Chouji trio went the opposite way that Naruto and Hinata went as they all lived on the opposite side of town. After saying his goodbyes to Hinata, Naruto settled at his favorite ramen stand, and ordered a large bowl before thinking about what had happened that day and the past five years.

'_We've grown…,' _was all Naruto could think at the time while taking a long slurp of his ramen. _'The graduation exam is tomorrow and I know we will all pass,' _Naruto said mentally smiling, but hiding it under his 'public face'.

The Next Day…

It had been the same as before. Naruto had had another vision from a place he had never been, but was completely familiar with. This time he had been in a bedroom, much grander than his. The deep crimson bed set complimented gold foxes statues and paintings that decorated the room. As he seemed to fall asleep a knife was placed to his neck. The assailant was a masked female with deeply tanned skin that was covered with short soft black cloth that looked strangely like the ninja gear the more elite females wore. There was a little unheard chit chat between him and the female that no matter how much Naruto tried to hear, he couldn't. And as the masked went in for the kill Naruto flipped her on her back, before unmasking her… and that's where the dream ended.

Waking up in a sweat, Naruto looked at his clocked and loudly cursed when he saw he was already five minutes late.

At School…

Iruka had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Naruto had never been this late before, even when he came in with new cuts on his legs and arms that he couldn't hide behind his clothes, but still tried to hide them from his classmates. The Exam was almost over and Naruto was nowhere to be seen. After calling his name for the third and last time, Iruka couldn't help but let out a depressed sigh when he was forced to fail Naruto.

Ten minutes later the boy came in, huffing at his lack of breath. By the looks of his hair, he hadn't taken a proper shower in his rush to get here and his hair was still wet with bits of soap in it. Shaking himself off, Naruto was about to ask if he could take the exam but the look on his instructs face told it all.

So here Naruto found himself swinging back and forth on the swing on the academy grounds. He knew he would have passed if he hadn't been late, but the dream had made him sleep through his alarm. Stopping his mental beratement when he felt his _Junshuu Chakra _going off, he looked at the intruder with slanted eyes. _'Mizuki… what does he want,' _Naruto thought to himself, and as if on some sort of cue, the man began explaining how he could graduate.

Initially Naruto was suspicious and for good reason, what the Chuunin was suggesting was clearly treason, but Naruto decided if he turned the man in he may get to graduate and a sneak peek at the scroll.

A few hours later, Naruto was running through the forest surrounding Konoha, and stopped a miles off from where Mizuki originally intended. After cracking the verification code Naruto assumed that his father's blood gave him access to the scroll and with a shrug, the boy began digging into the scroll.

The first technique, _Kage Bushin _(Shadow Clone) had his name written all over it, and unlike the normal _Bunshin_, it was direct splitting of his chakra making it much easier for him to form it, rather than trying to force his chakra into a small place. The second jutsu though was much more appealing.

_Naiteki Kai_(Inner Release) was the name. _'Not too impressive,' _Naruto thought to himself before he read the description. 'Releases the inner potential of a shinobi. Not to be confused with the eight inner chakra gates, this release doesn't affect the chakra flow, it just releases the natural inhibits your body sets through a hypnotic trance.' There were the only words written before the scroll went on to the next technique.

'_I guess it's worth a shot,' _Naruto thought to himself while remaindering what the Sandaime said.

'_You are not the Kyuubi and you are not its container. You are the barrier that keeps him from coming back and never forget it.' _Naruto mentally recited, before going through with the handseals.

Pain erupted through the boy's body as he let out a bloodcurdling scream that rang throughout all of Konoha, but even then it didn't drown out the gravel voice's words in his head**, "Who has summoned me?" **and with that, Naruto blacked out.

Read and Review

A/N This is as good a place as any to stop. I can but pat myself on the back, I finished this chapter within a day after Stigma (Which I promise will be good so check it out and review). Seeing Past has a new chapter up so check it out if you haven't already and if you have any question on this fic please don't hesitate to ask.

Jutsu/Technique Logue: I decided to only add new jutsu that appeared in the chapter so I wouldn't over kill the A/N.

_Jyuuken _(Gentle Fist): Primarily taijutsu of the Hyuuga, clan is thought to be Konoha's strongest hand to hand disciple. Unlike other fighting styles, Jyuuken attacks the victim's tenketsu which controls the chakra flowing through each person's chakra coils. With a few well placed strikes the victim can be incapacitate or even killed, but the only draw back is only those with the Byakugan can see the tenketsu need to perform such a task.

_Jyuutesaki_ (Gentle Fingers): Hyuuga Hinata's own form of Jyuuken inspired by Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra_. A small field of chakra is placed around Hinata's hands, and with control only seen by Hyuuga clansmen she is able to close tenketsu at a much higher accuracy rating than her clansmen. But in turn this method takes under much more chakra and has to be used sparingly.

_Hakke: Kenchoken _(Eight Divinations: Striking Fist): Naruto adaptation to Konoha's famous Jyuuken. Although it does not have the ability to strike tenketsu, it utilizes Naruto Junshuu Chakra, to attack the opponent and has several different effects. Along with disrupting any chakra in the molding process when Naruto makes an attack close to where his opponent is molding the chakra, Naruto can make small deflective shields that are tens of times weaker than Chakra Shokkou: Tate it still stop most taijutsu attacks. Also using the Junshuu Chakra in combination with this style Naruto can make ranged attacks manipulating his natural element, air. But like most things Kenchoken has a weakness… speed. If the opponent is faster than Naruto, it will make most of this hard hitting style useless, because Naruto can't touch the guy/girl.

_Junshuu Chakra _(Territory Chakra): Because of Kyuubi's excess chakra that has been stored in Naruto, the boy has to release a constant field of chakra that surrounds him at all times. Because it his part of him, it can act as an early warning system and supplement for many of his jutsu like his Hakke: Kenchoken style and the area illusions he casts molding the chakra surrounding him. Until recently the territory chakra surrounding him, has been a hindrance when fight doujutsu like the Byakugan, but with his ability to blend his Junshuu Chakra with Nature's chakra Naruto is now almost undetectable by the chakra seeing eyes. To further its advantage of doujutsu Naruto has found a way to create pulse so that they temporarily blind his opponents.

_Omoi Burijji _(Mind Bridge): Ino's original technique that link's her mind to an opponent's, IF their mental defenses are weak enough. Once linked Ino can probe their mind for information or simple cause pain by kicking up too many thoughts at once.

_Kage Bushin _(Shadow Clone): Solid copy of the jutsu caster that can act as scout for the caster, because when destroyed all information he gained is passed to the caster. But even with this redeeming feature the chakra cost is too high for most and many die for chakra exhaustion while making too many clones.

_Naiteki Kai _(Inner Release): Release the hidden potential in any shinobi, results varies from caster to caster.

P.S. All hail my beta, Master of Dragon and Sword!!! (Cue deafening crowd roar) Seriously though, this guy did an outstanding job on this chapter. Not only does it make much more sense, but the flow of the chapters is just awesome now. So once again all hail Dragon and Sword Master and until next time…

Black Saint (Review!!!)


	4. Unchained

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

Pain erupted through the boy's body as he let out a bloodcurdling scream that rang throughout all of Konoha, but even then it didn't drown out the gravel voice's words in his head**, "Who has summoned me?" **and with that, Naruto blacked out.

Chapter 4: Unchained…

The flock of birds scattering from his right confirmed Naruto's position and Iruka hoped that he got to the boy in time to stop anyone from exacting revenge against the 'Kyuubi vessel'. Upon his arrival, Iruka let out a sigh when he found out that he was able to beat everyone to the boy, but as he approached Naruto, his shinobi sense was going off.

Dodging the hail of kunai from behind, Iruka spun around before catching the fuuma shuriken that was about to cleave his head. Gripping the four bladed shuriken harder, Iruka looked at the smiling face of his assailant. _'Just Mizuki…,' _Iruka thought before something clicked. The Hokage wanted Naruto back alive and judging by his actions; Mizuki was about to bypass that order.

Watching his fellow partner stand over the demon child protectively, Mizuki had to bite back a laugh at the irony. "You, the child orphaned by the Kyuubi, are going to protect the very thing that took away what meant most to you… That's rich!!!" Mizuki cried while laughing. Iruka just ignored the man while steeling himself for a fight. _'He's not going to kill Naruto, not until I can apologize to him,' _Iruka thought as he watched his assistant teacher calm down from his laughter.

"Hmmm… I guess you aren't going to step aside so I guess I'll just have to move you," Mizuki said before dashing toward Iruka, his fuuma shuriken spinning like a buzzsaw. Letting in a calming breath, Iruka readied himself before dashing forward with his fuuma shuriken spinning.

Inside Naruto…

'_It hurts all over,'_ Naruto thought and to his surprise; his thoughts echoed across the sewer-like room he found himself in. Getting up off of the dank ground, Naruto looked forward and saw the biggest vault he had ever seen. The intricate stone lock had several red and blue pipes coming in and out of it.

Letting his eyes fall from the top to bottom, Naruto saw a small opening, like a keyhole for the vault. Around the circular hole were words written in kanji.

'Here lies the power to damn the world. Scourge all those who live under the torments of Makai and let the world feel the judgment of all those who seek to destroy it. However, here also lies the power of a savior, one at that will purge the world of all evil and protect those from the impending genocide. Come those who dare to unlock this power and control your destiny,' and with that Naruto stopped reading the kanji spiraling around the dark hole.

Fear, an emotion Naruto hadn't felt in years, covered the boy and clouded his judgment. This power was more than likely the Kyuubi's and the rumbling behind the grand tomb walls only helped confirm that thought. _'Is this my potential jiji? To either save all those I love, or damn them?' _Naruto thought to himself before plunging his arm into the unknown depths of the keyhole.

The words spiraling around the hole began to glow crimson before turning into an abyssal black. The grand tomb door began to unlock itself around Naruto's imprisoned left arm. After much movement, the great stone wall slid into the corners of the sewer-like room leaving Naruto's arm unharmed but that was the least of his worries.

Instead of rubbing his sore arm, Naruto's attention was captured by the black chakra that was coming out of the once sealed room like a low lying fog. Behind the veil of darkness came a ghost pale arm covered in kanji, the same type of kanji that was on the door. Instantly, years of dreams came flooding back into Naruto's mind. Staring at the being that stepped out of the darkness, Naruto was only able to whisper, "Shinigami…,"

This being, the Shinigami, was the beast locked within Naruto. It alone controlled the borders between life and death and commanded inhabitants on both sides. Now it was looking Naruto in the eye and telling him.

"**Human, come and see if you are strong enough to take the power Yondaime left you during his last moments," **the Shinigami said before moving towards Naruto. Dodging the swipe from the ghost-like hands of the Shinigami, Naruto instantly flared up his _Junshuu Chakra_ and tried to land a _Kenchoken _strike with it, but what seemed like a direct hit turned out to be just a minor distraction for the death god.

'_Okay let's try this,' _Naruto thought before activating his _Charka Shokkou_. Wrapping the energies around his fist, Naruto dashed at the monster and with a loud war cry, launched his fist into the Shinigami.

Instead of blowing back the monster like Naruto thought, the _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_ would have, the death lord simply look down on the boy whose arm was now stuck inside of him. Returning the favor, the Shinigami pushed his arm through the boy's chest and thus infected his chakra system.

"**Now the true test begins," **was all Naruto heard before a burning pain shot through his body and all his senses went blank.

Topside…

'_This should be over soon Naruto, I promise,' _Iruka thought to himself after hearing Naruto whisper 'Shinigami' followed by loud moans of agony. The words death god never sat well with Iruka, especially since it had taken the Fourth from the village and sealed a monster inside a child and now that boy was whispering that in his sleep before moaning in pain was more than a bad omen for him.

Clashing fuuma shuriken with fuuma shuriken, Iruka knew that it was only a matter of time before he would defeat Mizuki. Jumping back from their deadly game of touch and go as Iruka began to spin his stolen shuriken again and rushed forward to meet Mizuki who was doing the same.

Slowing down slightly to avoid Mizuki's attempt to cut his head off, Iruka countered with a downward slash that nicked Mizuki's attacking arm. Following it up with a back leg sidekick, Iruka landed a bone shattering blow to Mizuki's stomach. Breathing in Iruka never took his eyes off of Mizuki before exhaling at charging forward faster then ever.

Mizuki wasn't stupid. He knew that once he lost his element of surprise that Iruka would soon outclass him. This was the reason why he was the assistant sensei and Iruka commanded above him, but where Mizuki lacked in skill; he made up in cunning. He knew that Naruto was defenseless and that Iruka would do just about anything in his power to keep the boy safe, so that's why Mizuki sent his fuuma shuriken speeding towards Naruto.

Everything went according to the criminal's plan as Iruka's attention was averted to protect Naruto, and Mizuki was able to temporarily escape his imminent death. Throwing his own fuuma shuriken, Iruka let out a sigh of relief when his connected with Mizuki's and caused it to swerve away from Naruto. Turning his gaze towards his assistant teacher, Iruka guessed that this was going to be an unarmed battle now.

With Naruto…

Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra_ thrashed around wildly, trying to attack the undead creature that was causing its host excoriating pain, but like before, the chakra simply phased through the being leaving it unharmed. Feeling Kyuubi's trapped charka trying to soothe the mind numbing pain to no avail, Naruto found himself between consciousness and sweet slumber. Whatever this thing was, it was a sadist at heart, leaving Naruto in a constant stream of pain that wasn't enough to knock him out but just enough to keep each pain receptor howling repeatedly.

Pushing through his pain, Naruto flexed his midsection just enough so that he could look the Shinigami in the eyes. The cold black eyes met shinning blue and at that moment, the dead pale skin began to spread through Naruto like an infection. Feeling the welcomed cooling effect the dead chakra was giving; Naruto almost fell asleep but stopped when he felt something warm on his face. Rubbing his cheek, the boy couldn't find anything but the warm feeling continued to pool around his cheek, down his face and successfully distracted the boy from his pain long enough to think.

'_I can't die here. I would let so many people down, so many people that need me to be there,' _and with that images of his friends: Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Hinata, flashed through his head before countless others that had in one way or another pushed him to be the person he was today.

So Naruto gritted his teeth and began to fight the cold hand of death that was now just under his neck. Pushing the invading chakra inward, Naruto compressed it in his chest and after a few agonizing moments of holding the force there, he heard the Shinigami say**, "You are worthy…"**

And with that Naruto felt the burning pain stop and a wave of relief wash over him before he blacked out.

Topside…

Iruka found himself over Naruto, protecting the boy from the fuuma shuriken that would have surely killed him. Even though Iruka managed to save Naruto's life, he couldn't help but curse at himself when he realized that they were both doomed now. He was in no condition to continue fighting Mizuki, especially now that the said Chuunin had his favorite weapon back while Iruka was defenseless.

Thinking back, Iruka knew this moment was unavoidable as soon as Mizuki managed to get pass him and retrieve both of the fuuma shuriken while Iruka was dazed from the cheap shot he landed and being the underhanded bastard he was; he threw it at Naruto again, but this time Iruka didn't have one of his own to deflect it with so there was only one option left.

Now watching Mizuki close in on both of their prone and defenseless bodies, Iruka hoped Naruto would forgive him in the after life, but fate decided that he wouldn't have to wait until then. Naruto's eyes suddenly snapped open and in a flash he had stopped Mizuki's shuriken in his intensified _Junshuu Chakra _field.

Looking at the shuriken that seemingly stopped in mid air, Mizuki first suspected that Iruka had set him up, but from the look on his academy teacher's face he was as shocked as he was. It wasn't until Naruto said, "Don't… EVER ATTACK IRUKA-SENSEI AGAIN," did Mizuki snap out of his reverie.

Just one look into the boy's eyes and Mizuki knew that this wasn't the Naruto that gave a half effort in class, or was late to the graduation exam. This boy was the holder of the fiercest Biju chakra and by the look in his eyes he was his prey.

Clutching his chest, Naruto saw Mizuki tense, expecting a blast from his _Chakra Shokkou_ but what he got was something totally different. Instead of shooting chakra out of his pentacle, Naruto used his newest technique, _Naiteki Kai_, to unleash a surprising effect.

The boy's usual black and blue outfit shifted to a traditional all black kimono and hakama, but even with the change in clothes Naruto remained relatively the same until a hole appeared on his chest. The hole decorated with five silver nodes surrounding him laid directly behind his family's pentacle and the instant Naruto looked down at it, a black chain shot before wrapping around his arm and digging into the ground surrounded by black flames as it touched the ground.

More than just a bit unnerved by the demon boy's transformation, Mizuki regained some lost confidence when Naruto fell to one knee, clutching his arm as the chains kept digging into the ground. Readying a second fuuma shuriken, Mizuki began to spin the blade like earlier, before taunting Naruto.

"It seems the demon can't even control his own jutsu, and you thought that you could protect that idiot behind you when you can't even protect yourself," and with that Mizuki made a mad dash for Naruto; his blade buzzing behind him which was ready to sever the boy's head.

However, **Naruto **was not going to take this all lying down, on the contrary, he stood up with eyes blazing with fury before summoning from the depths of the earth, his sword. Not just any sword, but something inside of Naruto said that this was his blade **and** more special than anything on this world; it was a_zanpakuto_.

Unsheathing his soul cutter, Naruto cut the blades right off of Mizuki's fuuma shuriken, before Naruto whipped his chains that were wrapped around his left arm at Mizuki trying to capture the traitor. After watching Mizuki dodge and his chains cut through a few trees, Naruto stopped before he leveled the whole section of the forest. He stuck his _zanpakuto _in the ground before making the seal for his other new jutsu.

"_Taju Kage Bushin!!!_" Naruto cried as dozens of clones, all dressed in black with matching _zanpakuto, _appeared in the area before grinning at Mizuki evilly. It was a long night for the soon to be ex-academy sensei.

Dawn…

Sarutobi couldn't help but laugh at Mizuki's predicament when the Anbu brought Naruto, Iruka, and the now lifeless Mizuki back. He had seen it all through his crystal ball, but the real life version was so much funnier. Drawing his stern face and relieving the Anbu of their duty, Sarutobi went through the motions on lecturing Naruto before getting the boy's input on what had happened.

Not taken back by the boy's ingenuity and forethought, Sarutobi only saw one flaw in Naruto's plan and that was…

"So Naruto-kun you may have successfully captured the criminal and saved the village scroll, but why did you have to read the scroll? I'm sure that wasn't needed for you to complete the mission," Sarutobi asked in a playful tone. Even though Naruto had done the village a good deed, he still needed to remind the boy that he wasn't totally off the hook. He had almost lost his life tampering with the scroll and now he might have tampered the seal beyond repair.

Looking like a deer in front of a Katon jutsu, Naruto quickly put on his smiling idiot mask before explaining his reasons to Sarutobi in hopes that it would help get him out of trouble.

"You see 'old man' Mizuki would have probably made a run for it as soon as he found out it was a trap, so I needed to make him believe that I really stole the scroll or he would have just left the village," Naruto said looking the old man in the eye with an idiotic smile on his face.

Without even listening to the blonde's explanation, Sarutobi could read, 'I read the scroll because I needed more jutsu,' all over the blonde's face. Shaking his head, Sarutobi let the blonde go with a smile and decided he would get to the bottom of what the jutsu had done to Naruto later.

'_Now for my favorite pastime,' _Sarutobi thought after he checked for the third time that Naruto and Iruka were out of the building and that he was clear to read his little orange book.

With Naruto and Iruka…

It was late and from the looks of it, Naruto would be taking another year of academy classes with Iruka. _'Oh well, it won't be too bad this time around__ especially__ without Mizuki-teme around and me being pissed at Iruka-sensei,' _Naruto thought as Iruka guided him to the ramen stand. Looking at the Chuunin, Naruto nodded his head and dug in.

After about five bowls and a hole in Iruka's wallet the Chuunin turned to Naruto nervously and said, "Close your eyes." For Naruto that statement was double loaded, as he had grown up trusting only himself, few others, and the Sandaime, but after what Iruka had done for him tonight Naruto figured that it wouldn't hurt to let down his barriers again. So closing his eyes, Naruto heard some shuffling and after he heard, "Open your eyes," Naruto was in shock as Iruka handed him his Hiate.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow for team assignments," Iruka said smiling at the boy who had dropped his idiot mask and gave the man a true smile. Nodding, Naruto tied the Hiate tight before parting ways with Iruka.

The Next Day…

The six hours between his 'late graduation' and class was the longest Naruto ever had to wait for something. In the few minutes he got of sleep between the time, he got more and more imagines from the land his body spirit knew, but his mind couldn't remember. It had picked up at a different spot this time, he was still in his extravagant crimson room but something was off this time. Looking to his side, Naruto saw the ninja who was trying to assassinate him last time he checked, but by the situation they were in Naruto concluded they were more than friendly now.

The woman, whose skin was like than of shining bronze, looked into his eyes with her own catlike golden eyes of hers. After a few whispers, Naruto's world blackened for a second and he found himself back in the same room, but the assassin was much different now. Her well kept jet-black hair was now in disarray, and her tight fitting black linen outfit was cast aside, forgotten at the bed side.

Looking at the now naked female who was crawling towards him with her catlike eyes focused solely on his; Naruto couldn't help but feel like he, or whoever he was now, was going to be her new chew toy. And as the red silk bed lining was about to fall from her breasts, Naruto's mind blackened again, but unlike the last time he didn't return to his dream but to the waking world.

Looking at his alarm clock, Naruto let out a breath before saying aloud, "Might as well take a shower now that I have some time," before making his way to the shower hoping that a cold shower would wipe some of the hot sweat and hentai thoughts away…

The nice, cold shower did the trick and Naruto didn't have even the slightest hentai thought in his mind. _'No…,'_ the boy thought_, 'I just had to take an f-ing cold shower. I feel like an f-ing icicle now.' _Rubbing some feeling back into his legs, Naruto moved to his arms, and after five full minutes of rubbing, Naruto looked down at his left arm that just didn't seem to warm up and saw something that scared him shitless.

Coiling up his arm were two chains tattoos, interlocking in an intricate pattern all the way up his arm before stopping at his shoulder where the two split where each were traveling to the middle of his chest where the chains had originally started from, one in the front and the other in the back.

The sensation much like the one he felt when the Shinigami was trying to kill him scared Naruto into a panic. _'How am I going to hide this!? Forget how am I going to hide this how and I going to survive if this thing tries to kill me again!?' _Naruto thought in frenzy. It had taken him a full ten minutes for Naruto to calm down enough to rationalize his thoughts_, 'It hasn't killed me yet so it must be dormant,' _the boy began nodding in approval to his own theory_, 'So if I just wrap it, it shouldn't activate unless…,' _and that's when it hit Naruto. The chains only sprang to life when he used _Naiteki Kai_

'_That must be the key to activating it, and if I stay away from using that jutsu, I should be fine,' _Naruto thought as he wrapped his left arm in bandages, Naruto checked twice to make sure they wouldn't come loose before leaving for the academy.

On his arrival, Naruto ignored those who questioned 'Why was he here,' and just shut up the more persistent with a simple point at his Hiate. Looking up at the smug Uchiha who didn't look too thrilled that Naruto had passed, Naruto found that annoying the Uchiha was much more pleasurable now that he had the arrogant smirk off of his face.

Sitting down with Hinata, Shikamaru, and Chouji, Naruto watched Sakura and Ino fight for a spot by Sasuke with Sakura as the winner. Rolling his eyes when Ino stalked back to sit next to Chouji, Naruto proceeded to tell them a heavily edited version of how he passed and now he would be able to join a team with them to kick some enemy nin, and Uchiha, butt… That was until Iruka said.

"Team Seven: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto,"

Read and Review

**A/N** Surprised? You wouldn't believe how many people said it would be Kyuubi but I decided to be unpredictable and do something I rarely see. I know I know, it's a Bleach crossover. For those who don't know of Bleach send me a message and I'll give you a few sites where you can read up on the awesome manga that gives my inner anime fan chills. As for the pairing deal, I decided against the traditional and overused Naru/Hina pairing and before anyone starts celebrating or planning a lynch mob, I want to say that they will still be friends. Best friends for that matter almost like Sakura and Naruto are in the manga. As for the lucky lady, she hasn't been revealed yet and when she is you'll know, but as of now you are free to guess who it is. Also as for the lovely Hyuuga Heiress, her knight in shining armor will have to get by an overprotective Shinigami-charged Naruto before even thinking of getting the smallest hug from her; I can't wait for that part. But enough of my foreshadowing, Read, Review, be merry and pass the time waiting for the next chapter by reading (and reviewing) Seeing Past or Stigma. Til Next Time

Black Saint

P.S. Here's the technique logue for the chapter.

_Naiteki Kai_: Inner Release

The effects very from person to person. For most it just releases all the hidden potential a person may and turn someone like Rock Lee into a jutsu wielding monster and give someone like Neji a small boast in power and speed. It all depends on how much potential a person still has locked away and for someone like Neji who has already unlocked most of it and just needs to manual build upon it, the effect will be much more sedated than on someone like Lee who has a sever handicap. As for Naruto the jutsu unlocks his Shinigami powers, which at the time he is afraid to use…

P.S. Chapter edited by Dragon and Sword Master


	5. Forming A Team

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

Sitting down with Hinata, Shikamaru, and Chouji, Naruto watched Sakura and Ino fight for a spot by Sasuke with Sakura as the winner. Rolling his eyes when Ino stalked back to sit next to Chouji, Naruto proceeded to tell them a heavily edited version of how he passed and now he would be able to join a team with them to kick some enemy nin, and Uchiha butt… That was until Iruka said.

"Team Seven: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto,"

Chapter 5: Forming A Team…

Naruto didn't know whether to be irritated or relieved. Even though Iruka had said he passed, the man must have been up all night getting Naruto a spot with the graduating class, but couldn't he have put him with Hinata or Shikamaru. Hell, he would have settled for Ino, but he just had to get the Uchiha.

'_It's not fair,' _Naruto thought to himself, and as if reading his mind Iruka said, "Naruto don't complain. You have the worse scores in the class since technically you failed, but because of uncontrollable events, you have been given permission by the Hokage to pass."

Biting his bottom lip, Naruto caught the retorts that were on the edge of his tongue. He didn't want to be teamed up with his rival; not only would the boy be able to see more of his techniques that way, but also the Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) to worry about when it woke up.

'_Figures that the biggest prick in the world gets the Sharingan, and with it access to all my jutsu,' _Naruto thought to himself and the injustice done to him. The _Sharingan _was the pride of the Uchiha and their enemy's worst nightmare. One look and all jutsu, your plans, and your secrets were revealed to the red-eyed bastards.

Turning to Iruka, Naruto sat back down with his friends and waited for the rest of the teams to be called. It seemed fate only hated Naruto as Hinata got Kiba and Shino who Naruto considered good shinobi, but they were a bit unsocial or in Kiba's case too social. As for Shikamaru, he got paired with his life long friends Chouji and Ino.

Seeing everyone else in his group happy with whom they were paired with, Naruto's sour mood only sunk lower. Even his best friend and sister, Hinata, couldn't get him to smile his 'idiot mask smile'.

'_I guess the thought of being paired with Sasuke was too much, even for Naruto's idiot mask to hide,' _Hinata thought before using her trump card. Whispering to Naruto, "It's not too bad, we can still train together after team meetings and besides you have Sakura as your partner," Hinata said hoping that her words would lift his spirits.

It was a little known fact to Hinata Naruto had thought Sakura was cute and was a key factor to turning her off to the thoughts of Naruto as a lover and to Naruto as a brother. However, what looked like something to cheer the boy up turned out to have the opposite effect as Naruto retreated farther into himself.

'_Sakura is cute, but her infatuation with the Uchiha is more than enough reason not to chase her,' _Naruto thought to himself at all the possible outcomes of this team being put together would lead to. On one hand, he would end up beating Sasuke into a coma once he started on his emo-trips and successfully getting Sakura to never talk to him again. Smiling at the thought of Sasuke beaten so bad he couldn't talk, Naruto's conscious piped up saying_, 'But you would lose a friend in the process.' _

Letting out a sigh, Naruto knew his friends were worth more than gold to him and losing Sakura would be a blow to him, so Naruto just settled for fantasies of him upstaging the Uchiha Survivor. Several fantasies later, Naruto wiped away the thoughts of hitting Sasuke where it hurt and came to the conscious world when he noticed that all his friends were gone. Even Hinata, who had been sitting right next to him, was gone, and as any good ninja Naruto felt embarrassed that he had been so far gone that he hadn't noticed that she left or two hours had passed.

Taking his eyes off of the clock, Naruto noticed Sakura was still kissing up to Sasuke, and the brooding Uchiha looked as if his patience had worn out. Laughing at he boys predicament Naruto figured it was for the best that Sakura liked the Uchiha instead of him and decided to celebrate his revelation with a prank on there late teacher.

Seeing Naruto's inner child come out, Sakura couldn't help but agree with Naruto when he felt him flare his _Junshuu Chakra_ subtly, before hiding something in its Genjutsu field. In addition, as if willed by the Gods themselves, there incredibly late instructor came into the room with a little orange book in hand.

From there everything fell into place. Hidden underneath his Genjutsu was a bucket of water held by Naruto's chakra, and once the door upon the seal holding the bucket broke, falling on Kakashi's head and soaking him to the bone and ruining his book. Looking at his now ruined copy of Icha Icha Paradise, Kakashi held back his killing intent before speaking out.

"Your first impression sucks," before pointing to the roof and leaving for the stairs. Following Kakashi with a smirk, Naruto was already feeling better and the thought of having Sasuke on his team was a little more bearable.

"So why don't you tell me your likes, dislikes, and hobbies," Kakashi said trying to break the ice. His one visible eye was totally focused on them now his favorite book was destroyed. Looking from face to face, Kakashi realized none of them were going to volunteer and decided to go when Sakura said, "Shouldn't you go first sensei?"

"My name is Hatake Kakashi and my likes are none of your business, my dislikes are things that piss me off, and my hobbies are well…," Kakashi said letting out a pervert giggle after his long pause. It didn't take much for Naruto to piece together that he was a pervert just like most other men Naruto knew outside of the academy. Watching as Kakashi pointed to Sakura saying, "Ladies first," Naruto was interested in hearing what the girls opinion would be now that she had a taste of what the shinobi life really was like.

"My name is Haruno Sakura and my likes are training and…, my dislikes are Ino-pig, and my hobbies are working hard enough for a certain someone to notice me," Sakura said giving a pointed look to Sasuke who just ignored the girl's presence. Both Naruto and Kakashi suppressed a sigh before saying to themselves_, 'At least she isn't totally obsessed with Sasuke,' _before Kakashi pointed to the boy in question.

With an attitude fitting his coming emo-trip Sasuke said, "My names is Uchiha Sasuke and my likes are irrelevant, my dislikes are fan girls, and my dream is more of an ambition and that ambition is to see a certain man dead," Sasuke said effectively killing all the happy thoughts around him and making Kakashi say to himself_, 'Great. A teen angst that who has an avenger complex; I should have stayed Anbu,' _before pointing to Naruto, hoping to the Gods that he would be at least remotely normal.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto and my likes are my family, dislikes are pricks in general, and my hobby is to better myself to keep all that I hold dear safe," Naruto said dropping his idiot mask and looking Kakashi right in the eye. The experienced Jonin didn't even bat an eyelash, but on the inside he was a bit shocked that someone so young had such cold eyes.

'_Kyuubi caused more harm than anyone could imagine,' _Kakashi thought while reminiscing on his dead teammates and sensei. _'I'll make sure something like that never happens again,' _Kakashi thought before thinking of the perfect exam to give to his cell.

Standing and facing all three of his students, Kakashi said, "Tomorrow the real test will beginning, and if you pass all three of you will be Genin, but if you fail its back to the academy with you," earning him the shocked expression he was hoping for. "The passing rate is 33 percent and we will start at eight sharp. And a little hint, I wouldn't eat breakfast if I were you," Kakashi said while biting back a giggle. _'We'll see if the fan girl, the avenger, and the enigma can make the cut,' _The silver-haired Jonin thought before poofing away, leaving his three students to sulk, brood, or 'look' confused.

Once the team dispersed, Naruto headed directly for the shopping district of Konoha. The two hour wait for his sensei made Naruto think back to how he became a Genin and what lurked inside his body. The Shinigami was now a part of him, and whether he liked it or not, it wasn't going anywhere. Even though the thought of being a death god scared him senseless, the thought of using a sword wasn't too bad. The only problem was that no one in the village would sell him a sharpened sword; under the thoughts that he would kill them in their sleep.

So Naruto was forced to buy a wooden sword and hope that he could find someone to teach him to use it. However, before he even began thinking of possible teachers, the bottomless pit he called a stomach was calling for food.

'_I'll figure this out later, but for now I need food,' _Naruto said to himself before making his way to his favorite ramen stand. Much to his surprise both Team 8 and Team 10 were there prepping themselves for the next day. Apparently his group wasn't the only group that had to take another exam the next day and by the looks of it all of them were nervous.

"Hinata you know you are good enough to pass, and even with Kiba on your team, Shino more than makes up for it, so you guys are assured to pass," Naruto said to the girl who looked to be reverting to her old unconfident self. Picking fun at Kiba was worth it to see his friend smile again and with his stomach filled and mission complete, Naruto went home and tried to get some sleep for the upcoming day.

Dreams…

Whoever he was, all Naruto knew was that he was angry. No, furious was more of the word, as Naruto watched his oh so familiar body destroy the forest surrounding his old Japanese style castle under the red sky. The servants were all inside huddled together, hoping that their master wouldn't take his anger out on them, and by the looks of it, they were right to be hiding.

Red chakra shot out of his body much like his _Junshuu Chakra_, but unlike his chakra, the crimson chakra melted everything it touched, scorching the ground under him. After melting a better part of the forest, a single servant came from behind him.

The poor woman was trembling in her shoes and wouldn't even look him in the eye. After a few words were said, the red chakra receded and became what looked like nine long spear-like tails. Naruto felt himself smile and dismissed the girl, back to his castle, before he felt a smile on his face. For once, Naruto actually heard something from his mute flashbacks.

'_The humans will pay,' _was the solitary phrase Naruto heard before he felt his body shift and change and the world go black.

Waking up in a cold sweat, Naruto knew that whatever happened next, directly affected all the humans in the world, and for some strange reason he felt that it especially had something to do with Konoha.

Looking at his alarm clock, Naruto noticed he had woken up an hour early and decided to take a long shower to rid him of the sweaty smell and try to make sense out of another one of the those familiar dreams.

With thirty minutes to spare, Naruto couldn't help but make himself breakfast and by the time he had gotten to the planned meeting area, Naruto had already eaten a good five bowls of ramen.

'_It's cheap, but it gets the job done,' _the boy thought to himself before watching a zombie-like Sakura make her appearance. The girl looked like she got any sleep at all, and from the sound of her stomach, she didn't get to eat either. Naruto felt bad for the girl as he said his 'hellos', but stemmed his guilt with the thoughts that_, 'She should be ready for anything.' _

However, when Sasuke came in, looking like he could kill a Jonin with one look, Naruto couldn't help but find that funny. _'Serves him right for being such a prick in the academy,' _Naruto said to himself, while quietly snickering at the Uchiha who was now trying to look cool by brooding on the other end of the training field, something that he was horribly failing at now, no thanks to his stomach.

Three hours passed and Kakashi broke his record of extreme tardiness by arriving at the training patch at eleven o'clock sharp. Naruto who had been packed full on arrival had thoroughly digested his food and was ready to go, but his teammates had to settle for a weak glare at the sensei and Sakura yelling, "YOU'RE LATE!!!"

Looking at his hopeful students, Kakashi noticed that Naruto was the only one that seemed to have life and was showing it by doing some stretches to loosen up for his test. _'Good it seems at least one of my students can think for themselves. Now let's see if he can think outside of the box,' _Kakashi thought before giving the weak excuse, "I got lost on the path of life," which only served to infuriate Sakura more.

After dispelling a Chunin level Genjutsu from Sakura, Kakashi said, "Good, but I don't recall telling you that it was okay to start, or even give any directions." Looking at the blushing pink-haired girl with his now upside down 'U' eye, he took out two bells. Kakashi then said, "To pass, you each have to retrieve a bell," opening his lazy eye fully, showing them that he was serious.

"But Kakashi-sensei, there are only two bells," Sakura said, stating the obvious. Looking at the man nervously, Sakura knew that there was something off with the man, and with him dispelling one of her strongest Genjutsu without even blinking, just further confirmed that theory.

"Well that means one of you is going to go back to the academy, assuming that any of you have enough skill to take a bell from me. I'm setting the timer for noon and by the looks of it; you only have forty-five minutes before time is up. Come at me with everything you have and don't even bother if you aren't coming at me with the intent to kill," the cyclopic Jonin said before throwing Sasuke to the ground at the boy's failed charge attempt.

Fortunately for Sasuke, Sakura had picked up the slack and cast another of her best Genjutsu while Kakashi was distracted, giving Sasuke a chance to escape with her before Kakashi decided to do more than hurt the boy's ego.

In a flash, the two were hidden in the trees and were watching in surprise as Naruto hadn't moved an inch but was standing right in front of Kakashi with his 'idiot mask' on at full power.

Shaking the remnants of the Genjutsu from his vision, Kakashi looked at Naruto before saying, "You're a bit off aren't you and here I was thinking that you were the only who could think for himself." Kakashi said while looking at Naruto before pulling out a brand new limited edition copy of Icha Icha Paradise that he got through means he didn't want to talk about. (I'll leave that to your imagination)

As Kakashi predicted, Naruto charged in blind fury and when Kakashi went in to subdue the boy before spewing a lesson in life, something that the boy would take to heart, Naruto smirked. While wild leaping attack was just to lower Kakashi's guard and now that Naruto close enough the boy unleashed a _Chakra Shokkou: Tama_.

All Kakashi could do was widen his eyes before the blast of chakra engulfed him. Naruto who had just landed was smirking under his idiot mask, before pain erupted between his cheeks. Turn around Naruto saw Kakashi with a kunai jabbed in his ass, and then felt an explosion erupt.

Sakura couldn't help but wince for her friend as he flew into the air before poofing out of existence. _'How did Naruto do that?' _Sakura asked herself when she realized that what Naruto had done wasn't a _Bushin_. Moving from her spot, she realized that she needed to find Sasuke. Not because she wanted to be near her crush, but during short glimpse of watching Naruto's battle, none of them had any chance of beating Kakashi alone.

Meanwhile, Naruto was hidden in a tree near where Kakashi had fought his clone, and thanks to his _Junshuu Chakra _blending with the natural chakra surrounding them Kakashi had little to no chance of finding him unless he was looking directly at him. However, that thought alone was comforting as Naruto assessed the situation he and his teammates were in. _'Shit, even with a clear shot and the element of surprise, I couldn't land a blow on him. At least he used that jutsu on the clone instead of me,' _Naruto said to himself before going to find Sakura and, with much less enthusiasm, Sasuke.

'_Hmmm… I got a good batch. One is proficient with Genjutsu, another knows Kage Bushin, and the last is the only surviving Uchiha,'_ Kakashi thought to himself as he hid underground, safely away from Sasuke's _Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_. After grabbing the Uchiha's legs and pulling him underground, Kakashi began his lecture on looking underneath the underneath when he felt a Genjutsu fall on him for the third time.

'_She's good, but this is getting tiring,' _Kakashi said to himself before guiding himself through the waves of vertigo, and gave Sakura a taste of her own medicine within a second's time. With two students incapacitated, Kakashi bounded off to find his last hiding student, but unknown to him Naruto was closer than he thought.

Coming out of the woods, Naruto made sure he woke Sakura up from her Genjutsu induced sleep, before approaching Sasuke. Once the girl stopped muttering Sasuke-kun in her sleep and realized whatever Kakashi did was fake, he got her to team up with him.

'_Now time for the hard part,' _Naruto thought to himself before going to the fuming boy who was stuck buried from the neck down. Squatting in front of Sasuke Naruto started with, "I know you don't like me and for all I care you could burn in hell,' Naruto started before hearing Sakura gasp. _'She must think that's blasphemy or something,' _Naruto thought while snickering before continuing, "but as you saw from my fight and what position you are currently in we don't stand a chance fighting him alone," Naruto said leaving the implication that Sasuke picked up on.

Looking at Sakura he sent the girl a look saying_, 'What did you think that I was going to do? Come out and say we need your help Sasuke?'_ However, before she could answer Sasuke said, "So what are you suggesting dobe?" smirking at the boy from his vulnerable position.

Naruto had to use all the self-control fibers in his body to resist the growing dark urge to pound Sasuke's face in with a _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_. Instead Naruto just twitched slightly from his newly dubbed nickname, before letting Sakura talk to Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, there is no way that you can beat Kakashi-sensei alone. He's a Jonin for a reason, and the only chance we will have is if we team up," Sakura said in a gentle voice. Both Naruto and Sasuke were in shock at what just happened, the words 'no way' and 'Sasuke' came out of her mouth without 'there's anyone hotter than' between them.

Looking at the girl, Sasuke grumbled before whispering, "I'll do it," before Naruto already had his hand in the ground and pulled Sasuke up with the help of his _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_. Looking to Sakura, Naruto whispered with a devious grin, "Okay here's the plan, "before dropping Sasuke straight on his ass.

With five minutes left on the clock, Kakashi couldn't help but say to himself_, 'And here I thought this group might pass,'_ while reading his little orange book and just as he was getting to the best part, his maybe-students came at him from all angles. Not even looking up from his book, he side stepped Sakura before making a grab for Sasuke only to get a handful of air.

'_Genjutsu…,' _Kakashi thought before adding, _'But its not just Sakura's,' _no this Genjutsu saturated the area in chakra. Before Kakashi knew it he had fallen into their trap. Dispelling the Genjutsu, Kakashi found it took much more chakra then the last three. Looking around, he saw Naruto holding two bells and Sasuke had in front of him a copy of his Icha Icha Paradise while holding his hands in the ready position for another _Goukakyuu_.

"Okay it seems you got the bells Naruto, but now who passes with you?" Kakashi asked. _'They have exceeded my expectations but its time for the final test,' _the Jonin said to himself before looking intently at Naruto.

Meeting his gaze, Naruto smirked while dropping his idiot mask and said, "No one, because if only two of us pass we would break up this winning team. Right guys?" Looking at Sakura who nodded happily, and Sasuke, who just smirked at Naruto and with him taking that as a yes, Naruto looked back at Kakashi and said, "And besides if you fail us we'll be forced to burn your book." Smiling his idiot smile at the man, but his eyes telling Kakashi he wasn't lying.

Sighing Kakashi said, "Team Seven passes," before turning his now upside down 'U' eye, which was staring intently into the little orange book that no one saw him get. "First mission begins at eight sharp," were the last things Kakashi said before disappearing in a plume of smoke and with a perverted giggle.

Turning to his new teammates Naruto said, "Well seeing as we are now a team maybe we should get to know each other better," before leading them to his favorite ramen stand.

Read, Review, Repeat

A/N: Well another chapter done and this chapter was in celebration of my birthday (subtle hint to review). Soon I will introduce Naruto's future lady. Hope you like the chapter flames, suggestions, and guesses (on Naruto's pairing) are welcome.

Technique Logue:

_Sharingan_: Copy Wheel Eye

By far one of Konoha's more useful and FRUSTRATING bloodline limits. Not only does it allow the user to be able copy any jutsu, within there ability of performing, seen by them it also sees straight through genjutsu. On the more advanced level it has precognitive abilities that on the highest level use a form of hypnosis to send subliminal messages to their opponent making it seem they can read the future.

Black Saint (Whose catchphrase is REVIEW)


	6. Bridges and Business Just Don't Mix

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

Turning to his new teammates Naruto said, "Well seeing as we are now a team maybe we should get to know each other better," before leading them to his favorite ramen stand.

Chapter 6: Bridges and Business Just Don't Mix

'_The genin life is overrated,' _Naruto said to himself while holding a hissing brown cat in his arms. It dare not scratch or bite him again after the wave of killing intent Naruto shot at it the first time, but that didn't stop it from making Naruto's life miserable.

'_This is the fourth freaking time today,' _the boy thought when he returned the cat to its overbearing owner. The woman, the fire lord's wife, was just about strangling the cat as it tried frantically to escape.

'_Maybe if she squeezes hard enough, she'll break the cat's spine and it won't be able to run anymore,' _Naruto thought sadistically while walking to the Hokage's office to receive his pay. D-class missions sucked, but with the extra time, Naruto could train by himself afterward and whether he liked it or not, he needed the money.

Unfortunately, doing the same mission over and over again was taking its toll on all the members of team seven, including Kakashi, who was one step away from unleashing his ninken dogs on the cat and saying they 'found' it dead but before Kakashi could politely request a higher level mission to test his team, Naruto spoke up.

"Hokage-sama…," Naruto started much to everyone surprise. Every time he addressed the man it was either 'jiji' or 'old man', but now he was oddly polite. _'He must want something,' _Sarutobi thought to himself before inhaling some smoke from his pipe.

"You know Naruto, you don't have to address me by my last name, you can always call me Sasuke (1)," the elder Sasuke said before getting an incredulous look from everyone in the room. The older half, Kakashi and Iruka, were shocked he was letting a genin call him by his first name and the younger half: Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto, were shocked he shared the same name as the Uchiha Survivor.

'_Figures. The Uchiha favor power and they must have thought giving one of their sons the mighty 'Professor's' name would make him just as strong. Too bad Sasuke's too much of a prick to ever beat me,' _Naruto thought to himself before turning back to the Hokage.

"Okay Sasuke-sama, could you please give us a more challenging mission, like something in the C-class," Naruto said ignoring the younger Sasuke who was preening like a peacock at the words 'Sasuke-sama'. _'If he thinks I'll ever say that to him he's more delusional than his fan girls,' _Naruto thought to himself while ignoring Iruka's outbreak.

"Now now Iruka, maybe if Naruto could show me how much he learned as a Genin and prove to me he knows what a C-class mission entails, I might let them have it," the aged Sasuke said, before looking intently at Naruto waiting for him to start.

If there was ever a moment his team lacked faith in him; it was here. Therefore, deciding to use some of the amazing wit the older Sasuke imparted him with, Naruto began saying, "Well there are several class of missions, starting with D-class like we just completed. These are meant to build teamwork and trust among a genin cell without putting them in harms way. Next is C-class which is done primarily by Genin who have established a teamwork basis. At this level, they do not engage other shinobi, but do fight against bandits and other types of untrained rogues. From there, start the B-class missions that are done by Chunin and special Jonin. Here we will engage enemy shinobi of the same level or lower and the risk of death is much higher than that of the lower class missions. Above that is A-class and that is reserved for full-fledged Jonin who are willing to engage shinobi of the same level. This class has a higher mortality rating and is only giving to the most elite jonin," Naruto said before Sasuke stopped him. Looking around the boy saw his team was slack jawed, and Kakashi was looking at him with an appraising eye.

'_Seems there is a bit more underneath the underneath than I suspected,' _the white haired Jonin thought before Naruto continued.

"So is that good enough to get us the mission," Naruto asked knowing he could have said more, but then again, Genin aren't supposed to know that there are S-class missions of village security and that only Anbu, the elite of the elite, take these assassination missions.

Sakura who was slack jawed at the fact that Naruto just recited, in detail, a text book answer to the shinobi mission class system without slipping up once and adding additional information that he shouldn't have known.

'_Is this the same boy, who would only answer questions when Iruka was picking on him,' _Sakura asked herself while Naruto was facing the Hokage.

Sasuke on the other hand was impressed, which he hid under a slight surprised look, that Naruto knew that much. _'I guess he's worthy to be my rival after all,' _Sasuke thought before turning his attention to the Hokage who he shared his name with.

Looking at the Sandaime's approving smile, Naruto smiled back knowing that they wouldn't be chasing after that cat anymore. Watching Iruka poof away to get their client, Naruto looked around and saw that his team may have some questions for him later. _'Oh well, its better then them thinking I'm some sort of idiot, who just happens to be able to destroy trees with raw chakra,' _Naruto thought to himself, remembering the good times when he didn't have to worry about catching a cat at least four times a day.

When he heard a knock at the door, Naruto turned around with his team to face his client and what he saw wasn't what he was hoping for.

Their client was a man at least in his late fifties, who by the smell of him was hardly ever sober and to top it off he had the audacity to say, "Well what do we have here, a blonde midget playing shinobi. Are you sure that he can protect me," before introducing himself as Tazuna.

'_The hell! Not only does he call me short, but also doubts my skills! Oh I'll give him something that he needs protection from,' _Naruto thought to himself, but was stopped from killing the man by Kakashi, who was not only acting as a human shield for Tazuna, but was also getting back at the man for Naruto.

"I'd advise you not to insult my students Tazuna, they are trained shinobi who can kill you, especially the blonde one you just called a midget," Kakashi said stepping aside for the man to see a pissed off Naruto who flickered his finger at him (I'll leave you to guess which one) and left a scratch on the door.

Looking at the now scared man, Naruto smirked before Kakashi decided to cut in.

"Now that we have that out of the way, Tazuna I am a Jonin, and I should be more than enough to stop anyone who may want to harm you on this C-class mission," Kakashi said, taking note of Tazuna's nervous demeanor. Turning to his team, Kakashi then said, "We meet at the gate in an hour (read three hours)," before leaving in a plume of smoke.

Spending his three hours packing his spare clothes and gear, Naruto looked at the wooden sword laying next to his bed before saying aloud, "Maybe Kakashi knows how to use a sword," and leaving his apartment. With his wooden sword strapped to his back along with his gear, Naruto looked around and saw only Tazuna was at the gate.

The aged man looked beyond pissed and when he spotted Naruto; he immediately tried to apologize in hopes that he wouldn't see what else the boy could do without him seeing. "Don't worry about it; just think of standing here for the last two hours as payment," Naruto said feeling better that he didn't tell the man that Kakashi is usually a few hours late. It wasn't long before both his teammates showed up, and they were just in time to hear Kakashi's lame excuse.

"I was held at the hospital after saving an old lady from a raging fire," Kakashi said while reading his orange book that Tazuna immediately recognized.

"LIAR!" Sakura yelled for good spirit and Kakashi just shrugged. Somewhere across town an old woman thanked her young silver hair savior for saving her from a burning building, not that anyone knew.

Without further ado, the team left with their client, who was talking to Kakashi about which Icha Icha Paradise was the best.

"Tazuna I beg to differ, but when Mako and Hana crashed Yugito's session with Sakura wasn't the best part. No my friend, when all four girls invited Keiko over for a session was the best part," Kakashi said a bit too loud for his students' liking. While Sakura was fuming that her name was in a perverted book and Sasuke was struggling to get the mental images out, Naruto just thought_, 'This is going to be a long trip.' _

Three Hours Later…

When Naruto saw the oddly suspicious puddle in the middle of the road, when it hadn't rained in days, the first thought that crossed through Naruto's mind was_, 'Finally something to do.' _However, on further contemplation the boy realized_, 'If they think that hiding in a puddle when it hadn't rained in days is tactful, maybe this won't be so fun.' _

Therefore, resisting the urge to fire a _Chakra Shokkou: Tama_ at the puddle and saving all of them some time, Naruto just waited and watched the oddly placed puzzle, hoping someone other than Kakashi would pick up the disturbance. After about a minute, Sakura stopped kissing up to Sasuke and noticed the puddle, leaving the lone Uchiha ignorant to the danger that they were in.

Swish

In the span of half a second, Kakashi had been ripped apart by the puddle dwellers' chain connected to what looked like matching gantlets. _'Jeez, these guys must be broke if they can't even afford to get a set of gauntlets for each of them,' _Naruto thought to himself as one brother rushed him and the other Sasuke.

Following the said Uchiha's lead, Naruto threw a kunai next to Sasuke's shuriken to lock the chain in place, immobilizing their attacks. Watching Sasuke stand in front of Tazuna and before performing an advance taijutsu combo on one brother, Naruto decided to wrap this up quickly by landing a quick blow to the stomach with a half powered _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_. Watching the man crumple over his probably broken ribs, Naruto motioned for Sakura to do her part.

In what looked like a frightening display of hypnosis, Sakura used a Genjutsu, inspired by Ino, to drag some information from the captured Nins. The men struggled for about a second before the genjutsu hit them at full power, and they started spilling secrets left and right.

"I wet the bed until I was fifteen, my brother is a closet pervert, and we work in a gay bar for extra cash," the brother on the right said before falling back into his genjutsu induced sleep. Pretending she didn't hear that, Sakura asked, "Okay, who are you working for?" hoping that they would give her a straight answer.

"We work for Momochi Zabuza… got a recent job… lots of cash… Gatou… bridge builder…," the Nin said before passing out. The genjutsu had run its course and he and his brother would be out long enough for them to pick them up on the way back or until someone came and killed them, either way was fine with Naruto who had more pressing matters.

However, before Naruto could lay a finger on their lying client, Kakashi made his appearance. Looking at his team, he was glad to see no one was surprised to see him. After noticing this, he said, "Good work. Your teamwork was flawless, and you managed to pull some information out of your captured enemies, very shinobi like," the man said making all three of his students swell with pride; some more so than others, such as Sasuke for example.

Turning to the bridge builder, Kakashi began to tear into the man before pulling the reasons why he lied about the mission level before threatening to end his life for lying to him. Naruto was up for beating the shit out of the man for lying to him before completing the mission, but what Kakashi was suggesting would put him out on the streets. C-class missions didn't come cheap, and Naruto needed the money to pay his landlord.

Stopping Kakashi from 'terminating' their contract, Naruto said, "Kakashi you heard the man, the Wave won't survive without the bridge, and I don't know about you guys, but I know how harsh the world can be and that's something no one should experience. Therefore, I say we complete the mission and bump up the price later," before turning to his teammates. Sasuke was ready and showed it in his cocky smirk, while Sakura looked a bit less decisive.

Weighing the options the pros being that she could impress Sasuke and get stronger to beat her rival, out weighted the cons, which were dying or being maimed beyond repair with her logic. Nodding at Naruto, the said boy turned to Kakashi who was still edging for his kunai knife. Letting out a sigh, the man turned to Tazuna before saying, "I've been overruled, but this mission is now considered an A-class mission; you better be able to pay later," Kakashi said leaving one final threat, before turning to his team.

"From here on out, we have to be on full alert. The two you just faced were the Demon Brothers of the Mist and were of the Chunin rank. With that in mind, the next person we encounter will be at least jonin, so are you sure you still want to continue?" Kakashi asked, looking intently at his team. He remembered what happened to his team when they went in over their heads, and it was the reason he was now short one teammate and now wore a crudely made eyepatch.

Crossing deeper into the mist covered field, Kakashi knew his students were on edge and frankly they should be, knowing that a jonin could pop out at any moment from the mist. Hearing the faint whistle of something slicing through still air, Kakashi yelled, "GET DOWN!" while taking Tazuna and Sakura with him.

'_Damn. I knew there was something wrong with that rabbit Naruto almost killed earlier,' _Kakashi said to himself as he got up and drew a kunai. It was the middle of summer and a snow white rabbit had just happened to cross their path, but being so deep into his book, Kakashi waved it off as an escaped lab animal. Cursing himself for being careless; he looked up at the giant zanbato that was stuck in a nearby tree Kakashi couldn't but feel a little fear creep into him.

'_A mist swordsmen this far out!? Damn, I'm going to need my Sharingan, gotta make this fast,' _the silver haired Jonin thought to himself as the mist cleared revealing his opponent. The man in what looked like cow skin clothing turned to Kakashi before speaking out.

"Sharingan Kakashi, it will an honor to kill you," the man said while Sasuke said to himself,_ 'Sharingan Kakashi!?' _before Kakashi cut in saying, "So my reputation precedes me, Demon of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza." Zabuza let out a laugh before saying, "Anyone who reads their bingo book would know of you, but for you to know me will make it an even greater honor when I cut off your head with Kubikiri Houcho (Head Chopping Cleaver)," while sending out some killing intent.

In an instant he had broken their formation to protect Tazuna and in a faint whisper Zabuza said, "_Muon Satsujin Jutsu _(Silent Homicide technique)," but Kakashi stopped his sword swing with his kunai before he could kill Tazuna. Unfortunately for Zabuza, Kakashi wasn't done and with a war cry he launched the silent killer into the nearby lake.

Rising from the depths, Zabuza said "_Kirigakure no Jutsu_," just loud enough to frighten the genin and worry Kakashi, who raised his hiate, revealed his Sharingan eye, effectively pissing off Sasuke.

'_How does someone outside the Uchiha clan have a Sharingan, while I can't awaken mine,' _the boy thought while Zabuza said, "Good job Kakashi, now take off the kid gloves so when I kill you, you know that there was absolutely nothing you could have done," his voice bouncing from every direction.

'_Hmmm, a true master of hidden mist swordsmanship. This should be a challenge,' _the copynin thought to himself, before he felt Zabuza's breath on his neck.

"Where should I hit first, the heart, kidney, lungs, or brain," Zabuza said while hiding in the mist, just naming a few of the fatal place to be hit. Dodging the swing, Kakashi ducked down before driving forward and stabbing Zabuza in the stomach, and he would have killed the man if it wasn't a _Mizu Bunshin_ (Mist Clone).

'_The bridge builder!' _Kakashi thought before making his way to Tazuna and stopping the blow that would have ended the man's life, but put him in position for Zabuza to return the favor for the kick Kakashi had landed earlier. Watching the man sink, Zabuza went on top of the water to make sure the jonin was dead when Kakashi copied Zabuza's earlier appearance and burst through the water before placing his kunai to the missing mist nin's neck.

"You lose Zabuza," said a very wet and very pissed Kakashi. To his surprise though, all Zabuza did was laugh before saying, "You fool," instantly putting Kakashi on guard as the man dissolved into water and was put into a _Suiro no Jutsu_ (Water Prison) within the seconds that followed.

'_Shit Kakashi, you really fucked up here, get the children to run with the bridge builder and maybe they can escape,' _were the only thoughts that ran through Kakashi's mind when he was captured. Relaying his message to his genin cell, Kakashi found it shocking when they threw his 'those who don't follows orders are trash, but those who desert family are worse then trash' and fought off Zabuza's _Mizu Bunshin_ as they came ashore.

Keying in on the man through the watery cell, Kakashi could hear Zabuza say, "You can't escape me, you will die just like your sensei here," before going off to spew about how he kicked his whole class to become Genin. The reactions were predictable as Sakura bit back the bile coming out of her mouth, while her two teammates just suppressed their fear.

Kakashi watched what looked like a lost cause when the blonde surprised him by destroying the clone with his new sword. Turning his gaze back to Zabuza, all Kakashi could think was_, 'Shit,' _when he saw the maniacal gleam in the mist swordsmen's eyes. Getting a Mizu Bunshin to hold Kakashi's prison, Zabuza stepped forward before saying, "So we have a swordsman, come fourth and let's see if that wooden toy isn't just for show."

Cursing himself for bringing the sword, Naruto met the man's challenge and using some of his charka control he learned from the elder Sasuke, Naruto made his way to where Zabuza was waiting. Sasuke stood in awe at his teammate's ability and was about to say something when he heard a tap. Instantly his mind raced and then he got his answer. Waiting for Naruto to disappear into the mist, the boy waited until he heard the second sign to complete the plan.

Naruto knew he couldn't win this fight. Zabuza had years of training and was one of the legendary Seven Mist Swordsmen, and all Naruto had was a bit of practice swinging the sword as he got used to the weight. Wrapping his _Juushuu Chakra_ around the sword, Naruto launched an airslash at Zabuza who dodged and went on the offensive.

It was a one-sided from that point as Zabuza who was using a combination of taijutsu and kenjutsu to beat the boy into submission pummeled Naruto into submission. The best Naruto could hope for was that he could block all the sword slashes, and endure the painful shots to the body and face.

It wasn't long before Zabuza got cocky, and as soon as that happened, Naruto struck. Slipping past one of the man's sloppier sword swings, Naruto let out a warcry that signaled Sasuke to attack while Naruto made an all or nothing slash on Zabuza…

He missed and when Zabuza went in for the kill, Sasuke's fuuma shuriken came into the scene. Jumping over the shuriken, Zabuza blocked the second one hiding in its shadow when, he noticed the first one that had gotten past him and had just finished destroying the clone that was holding Kakashi.

Watching the copynin come out of his prison ready for round two, Zabuza couldn't help but think_, 'Oh shit,' _as Kakashi charged.

Naruto managed to get back to his team, before collapsing on to the ground. Still conscious, he looked up at Sasuke before giving him a thumb's up and thinking_, 'Maybe he's not such a prick after all,' _before falling into a nice, peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile Kakashi had Zabuza on the ropes, and while both of their _Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu _(Water Release: Water Dragon Blast) clashed, Kakashi passed Zabuza in handseals speed making a _Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu_ (Water Release: Great Waterfall) before the man, surprising the shit out of him before launching him into a nearby tree. Chasing after his fallen prey, Kakashi was about to go in for the kill; when several needles pinned Zabuza in the neck and a hunter-nin appeared before stabbing Zabuza in the right side of his chest.

'_Weird,'_ Kakashi thought while bringing down his hiate over his Sharingan, trying to preserve some chakra before he passed out. The hunter Nin turned to Kakashi before saying, "My partner and I have been searching for Zabuza for months. Thanks to you, we were able to capture him today," and with that a shorter masked Nin appeared, but unlike the first Nin this one had ebony hair opposed to the first one's ivory hair.

"Thank you, " the shorter dark haired one said, before picking Zabuza up and disappearing in a swirl of leaves with his partner.

'_Damn, Zabuza got away,' _Kakashi said to himself before he ran out of energy and fell to the ground. The last thing he heard was Sakura rushing to him and Sasuke grumbling about having to carry both him and Naruto.

It's like washing: Read, Review, and Repeat

A/N: Hope you liked this chapter. I'm going to say this now; the people who attacked Zabuza aren't OC. Guesses are welcomed along with comments and suggestions (avoid flaming). Well gotta go, school tomorrow.

Technique Logue:

_Kenjutsu_: Swordsmanship

Not much else to say.

_Mizu Bunshin_: Mist Clone

Uses water as a median to produce clones and ten percent the maximum power of the cast, but in exchange the clones can regenerate mild damage inflicted on them.

_Muon Satsujin Jutsu_: Silent Homicide technique

As the name suggests, this technique is simply a very quiet method of killing an opponent, usually from behind with a blade. Additionally, because the user is very silent, it cannot be defended against. The user will often slit their opponent's throat, preventing any cry that might give them away.

_Suiro no Jutsu_: Water Prison

This jutsu is used to trap a victim inside a virtually inescapable sphere of water. The only downside to this technique is that the user must keep at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order for the victim to remain imprisoned. Clones can be used in place of the actual person, provided that the clone is the one that performed the technique.

_Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu_: Water Release: Water Dragon Blast

Uses water as a median to make a dragon to attack the enemy. Very destructive and time consuming to perform, but the flexibility and power of the jutsu more then makes up for it.

_Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu:_ Water Release: Great Waterfall

Sending a spiral mass of water at the opponent, very painful on contact and very destructive.

Black Saint

P.S. Naming Sarutobi Sasuke wasn't my idea, but the genius mind of t-dugong's idea.


	7. The Calm Before The Storm

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

'_Damn, Zabuza got away,' _Kakashi said to himself before he ran out of energy and fell to the ground. The last thing he heard was Sakura rushing to him and Sasuke grumbling about having to carry both him and Naruto.

Chapter 7: The Calm Before The Storm

Dreams…

He was in the body again. The weird feeling of near infinite chakra coursing through him was beginning to become normal, as Naruto looked at his surroundings. There were no blood red skies of ancient Japanese castles this time. This time, Naruto was somewhere he could recognize…

To his right was the forest where he practiced with the Third and learned the basics of chakra control. In front of him was the lake he almost drowned in training to water-walk and would have if the older man hadn't saved him before showing him the proper way to float over the water.

However, as Naruto looked over the surroundings, going off his mental checklist of their importance, Naruto noticed something for the first time… He saw smoke. It was then that his body decided it was time for it to turn around. When it did so, Naruto saw something that shook his very core. Konoha was ablaze, and surrounding the fire were fallen shinobi killed in very gruesome manners.

The blackish fires keep spreading and despite Naruto's protests, his body would not even try to use some of its vast chakra to put out the fires. Instead he ignited more fire, while destroying even more shinobi in a crimson flash.

Utter hopelessness set in and Naruto just watched as his brothers in arms were killed by his hand. _'Why… why am I seeing this? Did I do this? Is this the reason I am hated? If so I hate myse…,' _but Naruto's train of thought stopped when he saw something familiar to him and his dreams. The giant toad was back and on him was a blonde haired man with him in his arms.

'_So it couldn't have been me who did this,'_ Naruto realized while watching the fight. His body had Gamabunta restrained and was about to make a strike at the 4th when he saw the blonde Hokage smirk. The handseals he had been doing since the start of the battle must have been completed and with a leap, he saw the man come at himself with untraceable speed.

When the 4th reappeared he was shell of his former shell. The tanned skinned he had gotten from countless hours of outside training was gone and replaced with a sick pale white, and the unmarred skin that proved his prowess in battle was now covered with countless runes. These runes where pulsating with chakra and on closer inspection Naruto's, or whoever he was, mind concluded_, 'Shinigami!' _

A cold shiver went down Naruto as he felt all his omnipotent chakra being sucked into his natural body, but before he was completely gone, Naruto heard the Yondaime say, "Back to Makai with you Kyuubi, we can finish our fight there," before he felt waves of darkness take over.

'_The Kyuubi… the Yondaime… the Shinigami,' _

These were the last things that went through Naruto's mind before the waves of darkness overtook his consciousness…

'_Got to get up,' _Naruto said while shaking the darkness in front of his eyes. With the dream still lingering in his mind, Naruto almost forgot how his battle ended. Instantly the calm demeanor faded and Naruto was on guard, _'One, we __were__ captured, and I am being kept alive to get answers or just to torture, or two, we defeated Zabuza and the rest of this mission will be a breeze,' _Naruto concluded while waiting for his vision to adjust. Scanning the room with one eye, Naruto was about to let out a sigh when he caught Kakashi sitting in the corner of the room reading Icha Icha Paradise.

Before Naruto could even think about what Kakashi may have been doing while he slept, the silver-haired ninja said, "I've just been here watching over you, Naruto," as if he could read the blonde's mind. _'I'll figure out later if that's just his guilty conscience, or if he can just read minds,' _Naruto thought, swearing he heard Kakashi whisper, "The latter," before the silvered haired ninja just giggled like a pervert and dug deeper into his book.

It didn't take long for an irritated Naruto to get up, working on sheer willpower to get away from the blatant pervert, but as soon as Naruto was about to reach the door, Kakashi stopped him. For Naruto, it was a first to see their 'untouchable sensei' stand in crutches, but it was even more shocking to see his serious expression.

"I want to thank you Naruto. You really saved me out there, and for the past three days I worried if that had cost you your life," the masked nin said looking at the boy in the eye, and for the first time, Naruto realized how much his action had impacted the mission.

'_I really did all that!? No, Kakashi would have found a way out and he would have done just fine… right?' _Naruto thought to himself while contemplating of what Kakashi said was true or not.

'_Well at least it's not going to his head,' _Kakashi said silently while thinking of another one of his less humble students. Looking down at his student's doubt, Kakashi decided to tease the boy a little in hopes that he would come to his senses.

"Well Naruto don't let it go to your head, but with you we may have died on this mission." Kakashi said, but before Naruto could even open his mouth, Kakashi continued, "Nevertheless, even with your help, Zabuza is still alive and I bet anything that he will be gunning for you just as much as he was for me in our last fight. Therefore, I prepared a surprise for you," Kakashi said while limping out the room, leaving Naruto to wonder,_ 'And what might that be?'_

Sitting down to breakfast, Naruto noticed neither Sasuke nor Sakura were present, but really didn't care seeing as he had more pressing matters on his mind. _'What is it that Kakashi wants to see me about? Does he know of my dream already? No that can't be it, he would have __to __use __the Sharingan… no it is something else, but what?' _Naruto thought while playing with his food.

Eventually, he finished and went to the forest designated by his sensei, ready to find out what Kakashi's surprise was really about. When he entered the clearing, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Kakashi was reading his porn and his Sharingan was tucked safely behind his hiate, but before Naruto could make anymore conclusions, Kakashi closed his little orange book and turned to Naruto. By the look in his eye, which was beyond serious and Naruto's attention was completely on his sensei.

"Naruto your actions in our encounter with Zabuza saved my life, but it also endangered yours. Zabuza will not underestimate you anymore and most likely will be gunning for you first before anyone else, save for myself," Kakashi said. _'As cocky as that sounds I know its true,' _Naruto thought while looking intently at his sensei. Zabuza would go for the strongest links in the chain before picking off the weaker ones and that chain started with Kakashi. Letting what he said sink in, Kakashi then roused Naruto from his thoughts by saying, "So that is why you are going to have to be stronger than the rest,"

'_Okay that's a change after all the attention he showers the Uchiha with. I wonder if the asswhopping Zabuza gave him knocked some sense into him.' _Naruto wondered while recalling all the times Sasuke got some 'extra practice' after Kakashi dismissed both him and Sakura. The pink haired girl never minded, because she trained with Kunerai and Hinata in genjutsu and the fact that it was Uchiha Sasuke getting the attention. Naruto on the other hand was pissed beyond belief, not only was it favoritism, but it also went against Kakashi's 'Worse than trash' speech.

Kakashi sensing Naruto's thoughts and surprise chuckled a bit before saying, "Naruto you are powerful, unnaturally powerful for a child your age and have managed to gain that power by yourself with only someone to point you in the right direction. I know I have been paying much more attention to Sasuke, but that is because he has never earned his power, but just takes from others, like most of his clan…," Kakashi said pausing while a far off look covered his eyes. This caused Naruto to wonder_, 'What could affect Kakashi this much other than Icha Icha Paradise?' _Naruto wondered while Kakashi came back to the living world. Kakashi shook his head a little before continuing with his speech.

"But you Naruto… you who learned on your own and it would be a waste for me as a teacher to make you become reliant on me as a teacher. Therefore, this is why I will point you in the right direction as Hokage-sama did before me. Hopefully you will work some of your magic and come up with something to help us in this next battle," Kakashi finished before standing up. Watching as Kakashi fumbled with his crutches Naruto thought to himself, _'I guess that makes sense, but then why does he still baby Sasuke?' _Decided to save that conversation for later, Naruto just shook his head and watched Kakashi stand before him crutchless.

"Now, I will show you what separates Genin from Jonin," Kakashi said before a strained look crossed his face. Naruto was watching patiently and when nothing happened he was about to ask Kakashi what he was doing when the copy-nin spoke out.

"Come at me Naruto. If you can hit me once then you will be ready for the next step," Naruto made no outward response to Kakashi's words, but in his head he was ranting, _'Not another test. Damn, he's seen most of my techniques already so surprise is out. How can I land a hit?' _Naruto thought before making a clone and switching with it while it charged Kakashi. When the two clashed Kakashi didn't bat an eyelash as usual, but instead of the clone missing a punch and swiftly destroyed, it look as if it ran straight into a bug zapper.

'_How did he do that!? Kakashi didn't even move and my clone was destroyed! Is this what he's talking about, the power of a jonin?' _Naruto thought while trying to formulate a plan to get past Kakashi's newly dubbed 'clone zapper'. So far he was coming up blank and any way his clones came at him they would be destroyed, where it was underground or over it.

Naruto was about to pull out the big guns when Kakashi spoke up, "Naruto you just have to land one hit and we can proceed, I'd hurry though because this part is the easiest and Zabuza will probably be ready to fight within two weeks," Kakashi said while reading his book. _'Shit I need to hit him now, but how? He zaps clones and by the looks of it I won't be getting anywhere near him to use __Chakra Shokkou: Dageki or anything taijutsu related. Therefore, it's long range I need, but he's already seen Chakra Shokkou: Tama. No I need something new and original, something he wouldn't expect me to do…,' _Naruto thought before a wicked grin crossed his face.

'_He's expected me to think Naruto like, but I wonder what would happen if I did something that had Sasuke written all over it?' _Naruto thought before jumping form his hiding spot along with about dozen other clones he was using to throw off Kakashi's perception on where he was. Kakashi didn't look worried though, he was confident his electrical field would stop the boy, and he was right, but what Kakashi didn't realized was that the real Naruto was in his blind spot and landed just as his clones hit the barrier.

'_Let's see, how much of a pounding can this barrier can take?' _Naruto asked to no one in particular before unleashing his _Chakra Shokkou_. Feeling Naruto's chakra spike, Kakashi turned around so see Naruto preparing to fire off a _Chakra Shokkou: tama _shot when something changed. Instead of one shot firing, the chakra in the center of the pentacle, shot out across the five wisps of chakra that made the weaver, before launching from the ends of those.

Now Kakashi was in a dilemma, either he could try and dodge this new jutsu, but his gut told him that Naruto had already accounted for that, or he could hope that his barrier was strong enough to hold all five of the shots. _'I guess there's only one way to find out,' _Kakashi concluded before taking the attack head on, but instead of reading his book like the last times, Kakashi was actually concentrating on defending.

The blue lightning darted in all directions trying to hold off Naruto's orbs of chakra, and it looked like Kakashi was going to win when the orbs suddenly popped. Looking at the dumbstruck Naruto, Kakashi figured that the attack was over.

'_And good thing too, otherwise, I may have ended back up in the bedroom trying to wiggle my big toe (1).' _Kakashi thought before trying to start his barrier again, when felt something tap his shoulder. Turning around to see Naruto with a _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki _primed and ready Kakashi smirked under his mask before saying, "Well it seems you are ready. It was really cunning to use a new technique in the middle of a battle, knowing that your opponent had planned all your moves. It was stupid on my part to underestimate you, but risky on yours if it hadn't worked where you would be caught in my lightning web." Kakashi said breaking down all the mini-lessons that they had gone through. Nodding, Naruto absorbed what Kakashi was saying before the silver-haired Nin continued.

"One question though, where did you come up with the idea for that jutsu?" Kakashi asked and was surprised to find out that Naruto used Sasuke's _Housenka no jutsu _(Phoenix Fire Flower) as a basis for the multiple shots. Nodding at his student's ingenuity, Kakashi decided that_, 'That wasn't too bad… Chakra Shokkou: Gorogoro _(Chakra Weaver: Scatter)_, I like it,' _before moving on to the real lesson.

"Okay Naruto, now that you have seen the strength of a Jonin, I need you to understand what you saw. What I just did was element manipulation, which is the usage of chakra to control one of the natural five elements: fire, water, earth, lightning, and wind. I am naturally predisposed to lightning, so that is why I can mold lightning jutsu out of pure chakra with handseals. You, on the other hand, are air." Kakashi said before explaining to Naruto what that meant.

"Your element is brutishly strong, while at the same time fast as lightning. So what I want you to do is to incorporate your wind element into your kenjutsu, seeing as it is already in your taijutsu," Kakashi said while watching Naruto closely. Confusion played clearly on his face and for the first time, it looked as if Naruto was presented a question he didn't know the answer to.

"So hw do I do this?' the blonde asked, causing Kakashi to smack himself, _'Forgot to give him an example,' _while pulling deep into his chakra reserves. "Okay Naruto, I only have enough chakra to do this once so pay attention. "With that being said, Kakashi face fell back into the strained looked as the air began to crackle madly around him. His chakra became visible as blue lighting began to form, before becoming an off white color.

"This is element manipulation. You are using your chakra to mimic the elements around you. For me, I think of my chakra as lightning dashing quickly from one spot to the next, and that helps me gain the control I need over lightning. For you and Asuma, the Hokage-sama's son and fellow Jonin, told me that when he uses his wind manipulation that he thinks of the wind as a sharpener around his trench knives, so maybe that will help you," Kakashi said while disengaging his electrical field and sitting down on the conveniently placed patch of grass under him.

"So sharpening your weapon with the wind, gottcha," Naruto muttered while pulling his _Juushuu Chakra_. If the element manipulation was really what he was doing this whole time with his _Kenchoken _then maybe this would be easier than he thought…

Three Days Later…

'_Okay, not as easy as I thought,' _Naruto said to himself while trying to get his chakra to form at his will. The wind based training had been going well, according to Kakashi, but for Naruto all he had been doing was making a fool of himself. The wind element didn't take as much chakra control as something like water, but the grasp Naruto needed over his chakra was greater than what he had. Naruto figured it had to be the Kyuubi's chakra inside him making it hard, seeing as it alone made up ninety-nine percent of his chakra, which just about two percent of that was usable. Even then that chakra was more than enough to double Kakashi's chakra reserves along with Sasuke's and Sakura's combined.

Pulling the chakra in the circle, Naruto abandoned the idea of sharpening his weapon with chakra for now and was just trying to do simple circle motions he had seen the wind do while making whirlwinds and hurricanes. So far he was having little success, seeing as all he could muster was a small gale spinning around him that wouldn't even deter a kunai if thrown at him.

Therefore, after about a day Kakashi had Naruto go tree climbing with his team to focus his chakra before trying, in private, with him to master element manipulation.

'_This is too easy,' _Naruto thought to himself while running up and down his tree, trying to focus his control to a finer point. Kakashi suggested walking on kunai if that was too easy, so Naruto jabbed his whole stock of kunai into the tree with points sticking out to get a better exercise. Needless to say, Sasuke was pissed that Naruto not only could literally run circles around him in tree climbing, but was on to a harder and more complex method and it looked like he would get that before he even finished normal tree climbing.

'_Why am I so __WEAK?__ I will never kill him if I can't even climb this tree,' _Sasuke said to himself while running toward the tree again. Only this time he didn't go higher, but instead was launched off the tree a whole five feet shorter than his last attempt.

'_WHAT!!!' _Sasuke ranted, getting angrier by the second as he seemed to only get worse. Sakura watched from he branch with a bit of pity in her eye but remained quiet after what happened the first time she tried to help. Sasuke told her to go somewhere and don't hold him back. Pouting a bit Sakura just watched while saing to herself_, 'I'll wait until he has sulked a bit until I help,' _before making her way down and back up again (2).

A Week Later…

Sasuke had finally gotten tree climbing down and with that complete; he was demanding Kakashi to teach him more jutsu, which left Naruto in a pickle for without Kakashi to constantly supervise his training, Naruto fell back on what he saw wind do naturally.

With that, Naruto had gotten the pushing out and drawing in force of the wind, and with that he could speed up kunai flying in the air, slow them down, and with a bit more chakra control, its flight. Now, Naruto was moving on to more useful abilities like making a shield from his chakra.

'_So far the only way I can get enough spin to block an attack is by moving my hand while I'm manipulating chakra. Let's see if it's good enough,' _Naruto thought to himself while summoning a few shadow clones. Each clone was holding a kunai and without warning, they attacked. The four kunai closed in on Naruto faster than normal, _'Seems as if the clones are using wind manipulation too. Good, I need all the practice I can get,' _Naruto said to himself while making a large full circle in the air and deflecting the kunai. The process wasn't perfect, but it got the job done, and Naruto was eager to see how well he could use his defensive abilities.

With a poof, twenty clones appeared and Naruto smirked, _'This should do for now,' _Naruto thought to himself before his smirk spread to a wicked grin and he started deflecting the blows left and right.

Three Days Later…

It had almost been two weeks from their encounter with Zabuza and Kakashi couldn't help but think_, 'Are we ready?' _That one little question caused more grey hairs to appear on Kakashi's already silver head. _'Not like anyone notices, right…,' _Kakashi thought to himself before getting back to the task. Sasuke had grown much during the thirteen days they had been here. With a bit more control, he could start the boy on element manipulation, but without the control, Sasuke was likely to end up burning himself to cinders if he started now.

'_Our hope rests with you Naruto,' _Kakashi said to himself, before drilling more tips into the Uchiha's head on how to use _Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu _(Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique). Nodding, Sasuke went back to burning more tree trunks while Kakashi's shadow clone checked in on Sakura.

The girl's progress was staggering, at least for the one who would be considered the weak link. _'I guess Sakura took it upon herself not to slow the team down, good we need more kunoichi like her,' _Kakashi said to himself while watching the effects of her genjutsu with his _Sharingan _eye. Like most Genjutsu, her's was invisible to all, except those with special doujutsu, but unlike most, Sakura was far more advanced with her Genjutsu.

Watching with transfixed fascination, Kakashi saw Sakura disappear, before reappearing at a nearby tree and making a slash through the air. Nothing spectacular, to the untrained or Sharingan-ed eye, that is…

'_Was that Kunerai's Magen: Jubaku Satsu _(Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death)_!?' _Kakashi thought with alarm. For a Genin handle such an advanced technique was alarming and what made matters worse was that Kakashi knew he hadn't taught her anything and this skill was the work from another.

'_Maybe I should take my own advice and stop playing favorites,' _Kakashi thought before going to check up on his last student.

When Kakashi arrived, he immediately noticed something was off. Then again, gashes in the ground and turned over trees tend to draw suspicion. Following the path of destruction, Kakashi found himself at a cliff overlooking the small town, and that's where Naruto was training… with about a hundred clones (3).

Kakashi watched as his blonde student used his element manipulation to block kunai in midair, launch the weapons back at the clones circling him, and make 'airslashes' in the same way he did in Zabuza's fight.

'_Wow, who would have guessed that a student could go this far on their own,' _Kakashi thought while reminiscing back to the small hints he gave Naruto.

Flashback

"_Kage Bunshin helps speed up the process and remember, try to find a way to wrap your mind on how your element works," was all Kakashi said before going to train Sasuke and left Naruto standing with a contemplative scowl on his face, thinking of ways to 'wrap' his mind around his element._

End Flashback

'_Wow that wasn't much at all,' _Kakashi said to himself, while watching the shadow clones dwindle around Naruto, until it was one-on-one. Judging by the clone's appearance, it was in charge of his fallen brethren and he was able to take more than one blow unlike the other shadow clones. _'He can reinforce his clones already!?' _Kakashi thought remembering the only man who could sustain the constant strain of sending chakra to clones and keeping them reinforced.

'_Maybe a little of the 4th's legacy was imparted to Naruto when he sealed the Kyuubi's chakra inside the boy,' _Kakashi concluded while watching the fight draw out to its last seconds.

Naruto had just jumped over the last shuriken that the clone had and used his _Juushuu Chakra _with his elemental manipulation to catch the projectiles and launch it back at the boss clone, _Taishou Bunshin_, who just whirled some of his _Juushuu Chakra _around and created a barrier like the one Naruto had done earlier to deflect the flying blades. Landing, Naruto positioned himself in his makeshift sword stance he had grown comfortable with using.

Over the two weeks Naruto had gone from a clumsy fool with a sword to a wannabe mist samurai after going through countless ambushes, by his clones, and learning to be much more graceful with his sword.

'_It's a start,' _Kakashi said to himself while thinking of a few people he could unload Naruto off to who was able to teach him a few things about swordplay. Turning back to the battle, Kakashi heard Naruto yell, "_Teishuurai: Kuukigiri _(Air Raid: Air Slash)_,"_ and Kakashi watched as the clone did the same. The effect was instant as two bands of concentrated chakra left their wooden swords and met in mid-air. The clash went on for minutes until the real Naruto's attack finally won over and cut the clone in two.

Looking at the floating clone with a smirk, Naruto saw it return the gesture, before he fell to his knees. _'That took up way too much chakra,' _Naruto complained to himself before trying to think of a way to reduce the chakra needed to make the _Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_. However, before he could get any farther in his thoughts, Kakashi appeared.

"I see you have come a long way in your element manipulation Naruto," Kakashi said trying to break the ice. Inside the jonin was a bit guilty for neglecting two of his students in favor of one, but it had to be done. _'Sasuke must know how to protect the Sharingan,' _Kakashi said to himself while looking down at the boy.

Naruto was a bit pissed now that Kakashi wanted to show up when he didn't need his help, and Naruto let it show by saying, "Yeah no thanks to you, Kakashi-sensei," while paying special interest to his so called sensei's name. _'I guess I deserve that,' _Kakashi told himself before trying to continue his intended conversation.

"Zabuza will be ready for a rematch soon, so be ready and watch your back when I'm not around," Kakashi said before leaving. Staring at the spot where Kakashi poofed away, Naruto said to himself_, 'When are you ever around Kakashi?' _before taking a well deserved break.

The Next Day…

Naruto woke up to hear Tsunami yell, "Inari stay back!" jumping out of bed, Naruto grabbed his wooden katana, before making his way out the window and onto the roof. Looking down on the scene, Naruto's mind began sorting through the options_, 'Hostage situation, two thugs, and one whiny brat,' _Naruto said to himself remembering his argument with Inari over if he should fight or die. _'Fight, of course,' _Naruto said before hopping down from his hiding place and landing soundlessly onto the ground below.

Stalking around his prey, Naruto waited for Inari to attack, and when the boy did Naruto quickly did _Kawarimi_ to trade places with the boy before meeting swords with the samurai, who were so shocked at the change that they didn't sense his _Taishou Bunshin_ (Boss Clone) behind them, until it was too late. Now with two hostages tied up to one of the frames on the house, Naruto left Inari and Tsunami and raced toward the bridge hoping he wasn't too late.

The bad omen Naruto felt only got worse, when Naruto saw the thick mist rolling over the bridge. _'Shit, I'm late,' _Naruto said berating himself for sleeping in. _'I hope that I can make it in time,' _Naruto thought to himself while making his way to where he felt his _Juushuu Chakra _brush up against Sasuke's and Sakura's. However, on the way there he felt something that was very wrong, Sasuke's chakra was too large, but then again maybe it wasn't Sasuke's chakra.

Making his way farther into the mist, Naruto reached where 'Sasuke's' chakra was the strongest and when he noticed that he was in the wrong place it was already too late.

"Kimimaro of the Kaguya Clan," said a monotone voice before a white flash caught Naruto's eye.

**A/N**: Hope you liked. This chapter will be a build up for next chapter where we see if the training really paid off and if Team Seven can pull off the Wave Mission. Those who guessed correct on the other hunter-nin great job, because I remembering hearing somewhere in the anime Kimimaro met Zabuza before Orochimaru, but didn't go with him because he had Haku. Well Zabuza's greedy in this AU and he has two bloodlines at his disposal. For Kakashi, I made him somewhat neutral in this chapter. Even though he did focus most his attention on Sasuke he still checked up on his other students and gave justification on why he was focusing on Sasuke. Aside from that I hope the changes aren't too bad and that the fic will pick up some more. Well I'll wait for the snowball effect to kick in and 'til next time.

Black Saint

Technique Logue:

_Housenka no jutsu_/ Phoenix Fire Flower

This jutsu sends multiple balls of fire at a target. It is also possible to hide shurikens within the fireballs, creating an unexpected secondary surprise attack. For the most part, this jutsu is used as a distraction.

_Chakra Shokkou: Gorogoro_/ Chakra Weaver: Scatter

Naruto's adaptation to the Uchiha _Housenka_. Like the _Housenka,_ the chakra travels on smaller individual bursts that attack the victim from different angles, but unlike the _Housenka, _it isn't just a distraction and can cause much more damage than its parent jutsu.

_Magen: Jubaku Satsu_/ Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death

With this jutsu, the user can make themselves disappear, allowing them to approach their target unnoticed. Once completed, a tree and roots will grow at the target's feet and restrict their movements. Once the opponent believes that they are captured, the user can then appear above their opponent from the tree's trunk and kill the target. In the Kurama clan filler arc of the anime, this jutsu seems to be quite versatile, with a wide range of variations on the standard nature theme. In addition to the disappearing and tree-growing effects of the jutsu, the user can produce flowers, seedpods, vines and multiple trees. (wiki)

_Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu_/ Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique

The user breathes fire along a cord or any other type of long object. While the technique is shown in the anime to be even larger and more devastating than Fire Release: Great Fireball, in the manga it is shown to be nothing more than a small burst of flame running along a line of wire. (wiki)

_Taishou Bunshin_/ Boss Clone

Naruto's leader clone that helps direct the clones when fighting against an enemy or himself. He is reinforced so he can take multiple blows, has much more chakra than his counterparts, and has access to Naruto's mind so that they can divise plans together. Note: works as a great sparring partner when one wants to sharpen one's own ability.

_Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_/ Air Raid: Air Slash

Naruto's original kenjutsu jutsu in conjunction with elemental manipulation and _Juushuu Chakra_. Powerful and quick, the sword slash's strength is determined by the user's chakra control and reserves.

Random Crap:

(1) Taken from Kill Bill Vol. 1 when Uma Therman, The Bride, just awoke from her coma and had forced herself to relearn to use her legs.

(2) My thoughts on how a more realistic Sakura would act toward a cold Sasuke. She's not the girl who is head over heels for the moody bastard, and she treats as a real person. Whether that is good or bad who knows.

(3) Taken from Bleach when Ichigo was training to unlock his bankai. But instead of fighting hundreds of his soul reaper's souls, Naruto fought clones that knew him inside and out.


	8. The Nine War Gods

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

Making his way farther into the mist, Naruto reached where 'Sasuke's' chakra was the strongest and when he noticed that he was in the wrong place, it was already too late.

"Kimimaro of the Kaguya Clan," said a monotone voice before a white flash caught Naruto's eye.

Chapter 8: The Nine War Gods

Instinct kicked in and without missing a beat, Naruto's hand formed a circle changing the air currents, which stopped the white projectiles from tearing into his skull. Naruto readied his sword and looked at his opponent. The white haired teen was as emotionless as a Hyuuga, and was dressed in a thin sleeveless shirt that was dark blue and long pants, that were also the same color.

Looking at his gloved hands that were pointed at him, Naruto's gut instantly told him to be on guard whenever they were pointed at him. Watching his opponent lower his arms and begin to speak, Naruto instantly felt on edge when Kimimaro boy's mouth did any more than necessary.

'_He's like a statue,' _Naruto thought while he heard the boy say, "Not many survive my introduction. Well seeing as you know my name, maybe you should tell me yours." Naruto looked at Kimimaro who still didn't have any emotion on his face. Suppressing a shiver, Naruto said, "Uzumaki Naruto," before dashing forward.

Once in range, another white flash blocked Naruto's horizontal sword slash. Naruto's wooden sword pressed against Kimimaro's white sword, which upon closer inspection Naruto realized was his bone.

_How!?... Yeah he's of the Kaguya Clan; this must be the Shikotsumyaku _(Dead Bone Pulse) _but the Hokage's file only state they used weapons no other person could wield. It never said that they used their bones,' _but Naruto soon realized that the few people who came back with the information must not have had a direct confrontation with the bone user, seeing as he was quickly overpower by the boy's kenjutsu and taijutsu combinations.

Blocking the heel of the bone boy's foot with his sword, Naruto used the power from Kimimaro's kick to put some distance between the two. Naruto wiped some blood from his chin, and rubbed his throbbing face trying to figure out a way to approach the bone user. _'Kimimaro's fist is like stone and his taijutsu is way better than mine. I guess it will come down to ninjutsu,' _Naruto thought while smirking, _'Just how I like it.'_

Kimimaro was curious of Naruto's kenjutsu style. _'He protects no vital areas with that stance, but when I go in for the kill his arms are already in place for the parry and counter attack. I must know what teaching this is,' _Kimimaro thought before asking Naruto, "Your kenjutsu style, what is it?"

Looking at the boy who had asked a question out of genuine curiosity in the middle of a battle, Naruto shrugged and laughed to himself while thinking, _'Well I've seen weirder things happen,' _before brushing thoughts of his porn reading sensei away.

"Its called _Teishuurai_ (Air Raid), I made it myself," Naruto said with pride filling his voice. This was something he had created on his own and it was rough around the edges, but with a little practice and guidance it would be something to be feared, or at least that was what Naruto thought. Kimimaro just raised an eyebrow at the name before asking, "And why…," but he never got to finish, seeing as Naruto sprung into action.

This time instead of making a regular sword slash, Naruto yelled, "_Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_," and a wave of wind orientated chakra shot out from his wooden sword forcing Kimimaro into the air. What seemed like a flawless dodge quickly changed to something else when Naruto smirk and said quietly, "Let's see how well you do when you are in my territory," and with that a black and blue flash shot up from behind Naruto.

Kimimaro saw the flash and recognized the flash as Naruto or at least a clone of the blonde. The blur pasted him and quickly stopped above him before coming down sword first and yelling, "_Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_." Another wave of chakra was launched at Kimimaro who didn't have anyway to dodge. The white haired boy didn't seem panicked and just met the wave of chakra with his bone sword.

The forces clashed and Kimimaro suffered vacuum cuts around his sword arm from the whirling air, and when Kimimaro heard another, "_Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_," from behind he saw the real Naruto launching another wave of wind manipulated chakra at him. With practiced ease, Kimimaro popped out his forearm bone and caught it before blocking Naruto's chakra.

Both Naruto closed in after their _Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_ jutsu had been defeated and met their wooden sword against Kimimaro's bone sword. The white haired boy just held his defense while they fell towards the ground. Naruto and his _Taishou Bunshin_ gritted their teeth while focusing the wind around them to spin in opposite manners trapping Kimimaro in the middle of two rotating cyclones.

Naruto savored the look of surprise on Kimimaro's face when the wind started to tear into him as Naruto and his clone pushed off of the boy right before they hit the ground, but not before shooting a final _Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_ each.

Landing on opposite sides of the felled boy, Naruto and his clone manipulated the air around them to lift the mist that had fallen around Kimimaro. To their surprise his body was unmarred and the remnants of his sleeveless shirt were ripped up leaving a bare chest Kimimaro. With looking at either of them Kimimaro asked, "That jutsu, what was it?"

Naruto, being used to the shinobi's unusual habits answered, "My _Taishou Bunshin_, handy really, but then again, you've seen what he can do," Naruto said while smirking with his clone. Kimimaro remained silent for a moment before saying, "Well Uzumaki-san, you are the first person in a long time to have pushed me to this point. Thirty percent of my power is usually sufficient to win most battles I encounter, but it seems I must double my efforts for you, so get ready," Kimimaro said before pulling out the bones for his arm and collarbone.

The one of the short bone swords lay on the ground forgotten by Kimimaro who choose a battle scythe instead. The ivory scythe was as long as three of Kimimaro's short forearm swords and had two blades, one coming from the collarbone and the other an extension from his elbow. Spinning the bone scythe over his head Kimimaro dashed toward the real Naruto and would have taken his head if the _Taisho Bunshin _hadn't gotten their first.

Blocking the scythe with two hands, the clone had maneuvered his wooden sword between the two scythe blades and was pushing up with all his strength. Kimimaro saw the clone was defenseless and was about to sever the clone from his legs when Naruto stopped the stab with his wooden sword.

"Thanks boss," the clone said and Naruto grunted telling him that he heard him and was kind of busy. Kimimaro was holding his clone at bay while launching his own attack, _Tsubaki no Mai_ (Dance of the Camellia), which had Naruto struggling to keep up with the near invisible sword stabs.

After the first few dozen strikes Naruto knew that Kimimaro would win in the end and decided to use a _Chakra Shokkou: Tate _and block the remaining strike while giving him and his clone some time to get out of the death trap. The plan worked and the duo put some space between them and bone user. Looking at one another, the two Naruto knew that they wouldn't win unless this they disarmed the boy, but how could they disarm someone who used their bones as weapons?

'**You could use me,'** said a voice in the back of Naruto's mind. Shaking the thought away, Naruto's black out gave Kimimaro enough time to overwhelm his clone. The _Taisho Bunshin _had turned his body to block the scythe swing that had gone over his head and had attacked from behind while making constantly circles with his free hand to stop Kimimaro's _Tsubaki no Mai_ from the front.

Without a word, Naruto closed the gap between him and his clone in distress, before throwing a _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_ at Kimimaro's face. The boy didn't even flinch when the fist connected, and to further surprise Naruto; he said through what was supposed to be a broken jaw, "_Karamatsu no Mai_ (Dance of the Larch)," before several spines spurt from his body. The spine from the cheek bone clashed with Naruto's wind based chakra giving the boy enough time to move his hand before he lost it. Backing up, Naruto launched a _Teishuurai: Kuukigiri _cutting through Kimimaro's scythe and short sword.

The clone escaped without a word and they were back to square one. Naruto and his clone were trying to think of ways to get past the bone defense, but each idea was a dead end.

'**Use me,'** the voice said again, and Naruto ignored it once again, but unlike last time he remained focused and saw Kimimaro dash forward while saying, "_Yanagi no Mai _(Dance of the Willow)." The bone extensions on his body grew longer and before two pike like bones erupted from his palms.

Dodging the open palm strike, Naruto and his clone fought the _Shikotsumyaku _user who was now using all out taijutsu mixed with a few spear like techniques from his open palm strikes. Sweeping low with his pike Kimimaro forced the two into the air and was about to go in for the kill with both of his pikes when the _Taisho Bunshin_ unleashed a massive amount of wind manipulated chakra pushing Naruto out of the way, but left himself open from Kimimaro's death strike.

Naruto felt the ping of a mental connection being severed by death before rage took over. Summoning more _Juushuu Chakra _then ever before Naruto unleashed his strongest _Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_ ever. The air slash met Kimimaro's dense armor bones and to his surprise; a bit of the chakra got through and made a small cut on his neck.

'_Those bones were at least twice as strong as the bones I use for weapons. Hmmmm… the boys strength rises when in emotional distress, maybe he is ready for the next level,' _Kimimaro thought while telling Naruto, "I've underestimated you yet again Uzumaki-san, and again I am forced to use more of my true power, _Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru_ (Dance of the Clematis: Vine)," and with that he took out his spine.

"This is eighty percent, let's see how well you fare at this level," Kimimaro said before dashing forward with the segmented sword whipping through the air behind him. Naruto saw the spine sword and whipped his _Juushuu Chakra _to full power adding wind manipulation to the chakra causing a small hurricane to surround him. Dashing forward to meet Kimimaro, Naruto felt the boy enter his hurricane and approach the three meter long eye.

Kimimaro reached the eye in time to face another one of Naruto's supercharged _Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_, but unlike last time Kimimaro nimbly dodged the air slash and started his elegant dance. Naruto was forced to use the hurricane that surrounded him as a shield when Kimimaro's blows became to numerous to dodge.

Using guerilla tactics, Naruto would dash from one end of the hurricane to another and strike Kimimaro who was stuck in the eye, before retreatinginto the storm walls. The strategy was working until Kimimaro started predicting Naruto's attack pattern and would parry his blows before Naruto could make a clean hit and escape.

'_Shit, if this keeps up he will start countering me soon,' _Naruto thought while circling his opponent under the cover of his chakra created storm. Another _Taisho Bunshin _was out of the question seeing as his reserves where lower than half his max, and making a _Taisho Bunshin would_ just be a waste of chakra.

'_Maybe I could …,' _but Naruto's train of thought was interrupt by the voice yet again.

'**Use me, it is the only way,'** the voice said again, Naruto was about to object when he heard Sasuke scream.

'**Your friend will not last much longer if you delay. You need to act now,' **the voice said.

'_How? I don't even know what you are,' _Naruto said desperate to help his teammate. Sasuke had never been his best friend, but Kakashi's speech was sticking out in Naruto's mind like a sore thumb. Reluctantly, Naruto gave into the voice's persuasion and was sent the seals and immediately recognized them.

'_No I can't use that, I won't unleash the Shinigami,' _Naruto said to the voice whose chakra flared a little. The cold chakra was familiar, but unlike last time he sensed his own chakra mingled with it. The shinigami took Naruto's silence as a chance to explain what really was happening.

'**I can see why you are reluctant child, but you must understand that our last encounter was merely a test, and seeing as you passed; you have been given the right to be my partner in battle,' **the Shinigami baited waiting for Naruto's response. Naruto thought it over until he noticed that Sasuke's chakra started dwindling faster than ever. The panic set in and Naruto made his decision.

'_Okay I give… Just help me save my team,' _Naruto thought to the Shinigami. Running through the hand seals, the cold chakra rushed through Naruto's veins and slowly all of his wounds that weren't healed by his chakra instantly vanished and the dark robes of death replaced Naruto's tattered clothes.

'**Now was that so bad? Well whether or not it was, you are now the partner of Tenken and rule number one when partnered with Tenken is… we never lose,' **Tenken said, causing Naruto to smirk. Feeling the cold chakra flowing through his body, Naruto dashed out of the hurricane faster than he could ever do before.

Kimimaro hadn't become flat-footed in his wait for Naruto, but was in fact extending his senses while waiting for the boy to make his move. The instant Naruto dashed out of his protective winds; Kimimaro knew and was able to track his movements. The only problem was that he couldn't keep up. Doing the best to minimize the damage, Kimimaro reinforced his bone armor with more chakra, but Naruto's new katana was more than a match for that.

Blood seeped into his sleeveless shirt and Kimimaro looked down in shock. _'Is this his true power? Has he been holding back this whole time?' _Kimimaro thought as he overwhelmed by Naruto's new form. Even with his graceful movements and deadly precision; all Kimimaro seemed to hit was the flapping black robe that shrouded Naruto's body. Finally after stepping into a sword slash aimed for the stomach, Kimimaro positioned himself for the kill when he aimed for Naruto's temple.

Seeing the segmented sword hit his katana and bend around the parry to hit his skull, Naruto's eyes widened before he felt a tingle in his chakra. Just before contact, a circular wind barrier formed beside his head blocking Kimimaro's blow, before the wind shot out pushing the boy away.

Kimimaro looked at Naruto in shock for a split second before killing all emotion in his face and thinking, _'His skill level has shot up exponentially; well I guess I have finally found an opponent worthy of my full attention. Let's hope he can last more than a few minutes.' _Feeling a smirk worm its way onto his face, Kimimaro pushed his bone armor to full power and summoned his strongest bone to cover his arm.

Naruto could only watch in morbid fascination as Kimimaro's body was covered with even longer bones, giving his appearance a more devilish look. The most noticeable change was in his left arm as a large bone covered it completely before condensing itself with chakra and spinning into a spear like shape. Kimimaro just looked at Naruto while holding his segmented sword and readying his spear-like arm before telling Naruto, "This is a hundred percent and you are the first opponent to see this since my rescue from the Kaguya Clan Mansion and thus you are the first in years to receive the honor of dying to it."

Naruto barely saw Kimimaro's charge and even then he didn't have enough time to evade the spear's blow, but like last time, the _Juushuu Chakra _flared again pushing the spear slightly to the left moving the lethal attack into Naruto's shoulder and away from his heart. Blocking the sword segment sword's swipe at his head, Naruto felt his wind manipulated chakra stop the sword yet again before pushing Kimimaro back with a howling blast of wind.

'_How? I didn't do…,' _Naruto thought while nursing the wound on his left shoulder. He was lucky it didn't hit his sword arm and Tenken was adamant when it came to telling Naruto that and what he did.

'**You didn't, I did. And you should be thankful we are partners or your so called self taught skills would have gotten you killed, but have no fear we are still in this fight,' **Tenken told Naruto, while Naruto just dodged and weaved through Kimimaro's blows relying on Tenken to use a wind shield to divert any attacks that would have gotten through.

'_And why do you think that? Because if you haven't noticed this bone guy is at least twice as fast even with all that extra armor, which by the way is almost impossible to break, and he isn't pulling any punches,' _Naruto said to his soul partner before taking a bone covered fist to the face. Spinning his body around to block Kimimaro's follow up, Naruto countered the bone boy's move with a little of his _Hakke: Kenchoken _only to have his wind covered strike flow over Kimimaro's bones.

'_See, that strike had loads of chakra in it and all it did was slid right over his bones,' _Naruto told Tenken losing more hope. The Shinigami soul remained silent while watching his host take the beat of his life, topping Zabuza's only because Kimimaro was around his age.

After Naruto fell to the ground when Tenken failed to stop Kimimaro's fist, the _Shikotsumyaku _user moved in for the kill saying, "Goodbye Uzumaki-san, _Tessenka no Mai: Hana_ (Dance of the Clematis: Flower)." The long spear bone on Kimimaro's arm twisted into a drill and Naruto could only watch as Kimimaro closed the distance between them with his drill leading the way.

Naruto watched everything in slow motion and at the last seconds before impact Naruto heard Tenken say, **'If you want to live trust me,' **Naruto just nodded and said, "_Tenken: Kyuubun_ (Divine Punishment: Split Into Nine)!!!"

The cold shinigami chakra increased tenfold and Naruto saw a man walk toward him from behind Kimimaro. The bone user didn't seem to notice the man wearing all black passing him, but to Naruto he stood out like Kyuubi's chakra. Looking up, Naruto could see most of the man but his face eluded him. Feeling energy rise from inside him, Naruto fought the darkness closing in on his vision and was able to hear the man say, "Well about time you decided to accept my help," and bending down to help Naruto up.

'_Tenken?' _Naruto asked his shinigami partner while standing on his own two legs. **'Of course,' **the spirit answered before gripping Naruto's sword. Falling back, Naruto totally opened himself to the older man's guidance.

With all the new found energy coursing through him Naruto thought_, 'There's no way we can lose now,' _before a dark light burst from him and his soul partner. Feeling the black chakra die down, Naruto set his eyes on Kimimaro before smirking.

'**Go get him,'**

----

Five Minutes Ago

Haku fought fiercely with the Uchiha Survivor and had a huge advantage over the boy with her near light speeds. Sasuke was resembling a pin cushion more and more until he unlocked his _Sharingan _and was able to track her movements down to the slightest twitch, and even though he couldn't keep up he made it increasingly harder to land a hit that would incapacitate instead of just killing him and being done with it.

'_Only if he would blink for a second, then I could knock him out and not kill the last Uchiha,' _Haku said to herself while making another sweep at the boy. The thought of killing the Uchiha and moving to help Zabuza or Kimimaro was beginning to get more and more appealing, but the thought of being hunted by Konoha's best for killing the last of their most 'precious clan' dissuaded that thought completely.

'_I was given the Uchiha because I am the most gentle. I must not kill him or it may be the end for me and my family,' _Haku thought before Sasuke's_ Goukakyuu_ knicked her leg burning some of the clothes before it was put out by the speed of her flight. Landing in the safety of an ice mirror Haku looked at the Uchiha with a new found respect; he was a threat now and would be treated as such.

Rushing out of her mirror in a blitz, Haku launched a dozen senbon at her opponent before coming in closer with a handful aimed for his throat. The attack would put him in a death like coma and out of the fight, but not enough to kill him if she didn't mess up.

Sasuke blocked her first wave of attack, and in a burst of uncanny speed and skill he pushed Haku's attack to the side and landed an earth shattering fist to the girl's mask sending a crack down the center and launching her through one of her ice mirrors. Sasuke smirked and looked down at the fruits of his labor. He had spent all his training time with Kakashi trying to master the watered down version of his already watered down _Chidori_ (One Thousand Birds).

'_Even though it can't cut through lightning, the extra punch was more than enough to win this battle and take me one step closer to defeating Itachi,' _Sasuke thought while slumping down to his knees. As of now, he had used up almost all of his chakra producing the weak _Chidori _and the whole battle rode on if Haku could get up from the blow.

After a few seconds passed Sasuke figured Haku was either dead or out cold so he dropped his guard and that is when Haku struck. In a last ditch effort, Haku bounced from shattered glass to her mirror positioned at the top of the ice ring and fired herself downwards, directly on top of the last Uchiha.

Feeling the three senbon that pricked his neck, Sasuke tried to fight the darkness that was closing in from all sides, Sasuke made one final swing with his fading _Chidori _only to shatter the remains of Haku's mask with his fist before passing out.

Looking at the boy who managed to put stars in her vision, Haku felt Kimimaro's chakra shoot up while Zabuza's dwindle.

'_Kimimaro-niisan must be going full power. His opponent must be strong to push him to that. However, Zabuza's in danger, I must help him and then all together we can tackle this larger threat. Kimimaro-niisan hold on, I will bring help soon,' _Haku told herself before rushing off to help Zabuza with Copy-nin Kakashi.

---

Kimimaro's bone drill had stopped about a yard away from Naruto, not because of his choice but because he had hit something. This something was a ring that floated around Naruto by some sort of advanced chakra control. The ring was jet black with a red streak running across the middle.

In the red streak were nine nodes. What these nodes did was a mystery to Kimimaro, but his senses told him to be weary and stay on guard. Looking past the ring Kimimaro saw Naruto who was standing behind his ring perfectly calm and to his surprise Naruto was more than calm but was smirking as if the battle was already decided.

Fighting the frown that was worming its way onto his face, Kimimaro told himself, _'I must remain calm; he is only trying to get in my head. This battle is mine all I have to do is take it.' _With that in mind and a small breath, Kimimaro calmed his nerves before exhaling and charging.

Naruto, on the other hand, was smirking about his new appearance. Gone were the tattered clothes from Kimimaro's bone blades and was now clad in a black battle vest, zipped to the top with two shuriken pooches on his chest. Under his vest was a black short sleeve shirt with bandages tied over both and on his black cargo shorts were two large pooches resting on his belt. Further down were black bandages wrapping around his legs leading to his now black all purpose ninja sandals.

Looking himself over again Naruto was impressed but decided to ask Tenken, _'Why such an overtone on black? You make me out to be an even larger angst case than Sasuke.' _The soul reaper just chuckled at the joke before saying**, 'Black is death's color, and seeing as you are my partner the least you can do is where the outfit.' **Flexing his tattooed arm, Naruto was glad to see that the black chain tattoo was gone but before Naruto could ask where it went, he heard Tenken say**, 'You'll find out in time, but its time for us to find out what the **_**Kuekikami**_(Nine War Gods) **can do,' **before pushing his chakra into the ring around them.

Kimimaro watched as the nine nodes sprang to life and from them sprouted black chains, and mounted on each of these chains were nine unique weapons. Looking up, Kimimaro watched as the nine weapons fanned Naruto from above making a halo around the mini death god.

Feeling the calm around Naruto's aura snap, Kimimaro was forced to fall back when Naruto pushed forward yelling, "_Kuekikami: Epe _(Nine War Gods: Rapier)!!!" The first of Naruto's nine weapons came down from his halo above and struck at Kimimaro. An elegant rapier about a meter long and with a complex hand guard decoration struck at Kimimaro faster than anything the boy had seen. Looking past the speeding steel Kimimaro saw Naruto pushing his palm at him as if he was jabbing him with the rapier. Giving the slight a questioning look Kimimaro barely had time to block when Naruto sent his free hand up and yelled, "_Kuekikami: Ono_ (Nine War Gods:Axe)," calling his second weapon.

A giant axe fell from the halo with a black longer than the rapier and was equal to the length of staff that connected to it. Following Naruto's hand down, Kimimaro stopped the swing only to fall to the ground below him, crumbling under the pressure the blow caused. The chakra, like a strong gale, from the axe blew through the concrete and sent both Naruto and Kimimaro into the ocean below.

Hitting the cold water below, Kimimaro immediately sent chakra to his feet and stabilized himself on top the water expecting Naruto to do the same, but when he looked up; he saw that Naruto was not even touching the water, but in fact was floating over a spinning dual bladed naginata. The staff in between the blade was no longer than ten inches, but the blades themselves were both about two feet each. Watching Naruto dragging his hand from his side and point it at him, Kimimaro watched the naginata mimic the action before Naruto yelled out, "_Kuekikami: Reppuu_ (Nine War Gods: Whirlwind)," and spinning of the weapon increased causing a typhoon to shoot out from the handle.

With nothing to attach himself to, Kimimaro was blown back and landed in the water before sinking to the bottom. Naruto landed on the water and his ring of weapons that surround him closed in tight around him, as if waiting for Kimimaro's next move.

'**That was **_**Kuekikami's**_** first set ****of**** weapons. It is called **_**Shouki**_** and they are the weakest set,' **Tenken said getting the reaction that he wanted. Naruto was shocked that this was the weakest form and vocalized it to Tenken.

'_Weakest!? That can't be true, because it alone just destroyed Kimimaro,' _

'**It may seem that way, but Kimimaro is skilled and this alone will only set him back until he figures out its pattern and then he will be back on top.' **Tenken said in response to Naruto's claim. And on queue Kimimaro appeared out to the water, dodging Naruto's rapier and axe before swinging his segmented sword at Naruto's naginata wrapping it in the bone's disks before Kimimaro went in for the kill with his bone spear.

However, before Kimimaro could finish his attack, Naruto's hand shot forward as he yelled, "_Kuekikami: Tsume _(Nine War Gods: Claw)," and another chained weapon came from the halo above. This time, the chain had a gauntlet mounted to it and when it approached Kimimaro the metal hand sprang open revealing five pointed steel fingers that easily grasped Kimimaro's chest opening him up for Naruto's follow up.

Spinning his free hand as if he where swing a chain Naruto made a wide arc dragging his next weapon from the halo above. This time it was a mace the size of his skull, but when Naruto cried out, "_Kuekikami: Sumasshu_ (Nine War Gods: Smash)," causing the mace to bloat to the size of a boulder. The spiked ball crashed into Kimimaro's bone protected side and sent the man packing again, but not before he sent his own present.

His segmented sword ripped through the air like a snake and would have ended Naruto's life if Tenken hadn't activated the next weapon himself '_Kuekikami: Ken_ (Nine War Gods: Sting).'The sixth weapon appeared from the halo, and saved Naruto's life. It was a sword, but unlike a normal double edged sword, this one had an opening running down the middle just wide enough for the spines on Kimimaro's sword to fit. The disks slid all the way to the bottom where they hit the hand guard and stopped. Naruto was about to ask what this did when a blast of pure chakra shot out from the middle of the sword destroying the spine blade and burning Kimimaro's hand.

'_**Chuuki**_** is this set's title and they are your middle class weapons. They are stronger ****than the **_**Shouki**_** but are much harder ****to ****use together.' **Tenken finished his speech and told Naruto to return to the bridge where they would finish the fight.

As soon as his foot touched down on the concrete, Naruto felt a wave of chakra build up from under him. Looking down, Naruto saw the bridge beneath him rip apart by bone trees and Kimimaro rising from out of the opening, yelling, "_Sawarabi no Mai_ (Dance of the Young Ferns)!"

Naruto had evaded the bone spires by hovering over his naginata, but when Kimimaro ran up the spike that he was standing on and yelled out, "_Tessenka no Mai: Hana_," Naruto had little choice but to rely on Tenken for help.

'**This is it, we are about to release the **_**Kouki**_** set of weapons. They are by far the strongest and by far the most dangerous to you. They are the only three weapons capable of reaping a living soul, so if you are accidentally struck with your own blade, your soul can be sent to the after life.' **Tenken paused after telling Naruto all of this. With his eyes trained on Kimimaro, Naruto simply nodded accepting the risks and knowing the consequences if he messed up.

'**Good, now say it with my **_**Kuekikami…,'**_

"_Katana _(Nine War Gods: Katana)," Naruto whispered and with a flash, Kimimaro and Naruto were standing atop on opposites sides of the bridge. Seconds passed and Naruto stood still in the position of execution, arm outstretched with an elegant katana similar to his original zanpakuto mimicking his position. Kimimaro stood silent on the other end, arm stretched waiting for the outcome of the last clash.

A shattering sound rung through the bone forest and Kimimaro looked down at his destroyed drill, not even able to voice his disbelief seeing as Naruto said in a low voice, "_Kuekikami: Heki_ (Nine War Gods: Tear)," and Kimimaro felt cold steel wrap around his body. Looking down, he saw a heavily serrated sword tearing through his bones and in a flash the sword had ripped through his bone armor tearing it from his body and leaving him bare for Naruto's next attack.

'**It's time to finish this, **_**Kuekikami: Minori**_(Nine War Gods: Harvest)**,' **Tenken shouted in Naruto's mind, pulling the last weapon from the halo above. The claymore floated above Naruto, and like all the other weapons, it was jet black from the one foot hilt to the half circle blade that crowned the top of the double bladed sword. And with blinding speed, Naruto appeared above Kimimaro and in one clean stroke, Naruto brought the claymore down and was about to relieve Kimimaro of his head and soul when he felt someone enter the bridge.

This soul was more than enough to divert the attention of Tenken. Feeling his soul partner's attention leave Kimimaro, Naruto stopped his swing and asked_, 'What's wrong?'_

'**There is another, his soul needs to be cleaned… NOW,' **Tenken said his voice raising at the end, before pushing Naruto to go find this dirty soul. Leaving an unconscious Kimimaro on the ground, Naruto left the bone forest and moved to find this 'dirty' soul.

---

Kakashi had never felt this much chakra at once, with the exception of Kyuubi, but that was a once in a lifetime occurrence. _'But this… this can't be human,' _Kakashi thought while the foreign chakra continued to pulsate before dying down to more reasonable levels.

Calling out to Zabuza, Kakashi said, "Zabuza we are both busy men and are short on time, so lets cut the games and finish this now," before whipping out a scroll from his torn jacket and smearing blood over the open paper. Grasping the bloody paper, Kakashi went through several handseals and slammed his hands on the ground, ducking under Zabuza's swipe at his head and releasing his jutsu.

"_Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu_ (Summoning: Earth Releasing: Tracking Fang Technique)!!!"

In addition to that, the ground rumbled underneath Zabuza who was retreating from his failed attack. Looking down, Zabuza saw the earth explode revealing a team of ninken (ninja dogs). Before Zabuza could even form the seals for a _Kawarimi, _the dogs bit down on his body holding him still for whatever Kakashi had planned.

Kakashi walked into Zabuza's vision and stopped a few meters away from the mist-nin. Running through the handseals slowly Kakashi told Zabuza, "It seems your mist can fool my eyes, but not my nose." Zabuza's eyes widened a bit when Kakashi's hand started buzzing before a bright blue chakra covered his hand.

"This is my only original technique. The ultimate in assassination jutsu, _Raikiri _(Lightning Blade)!!!" and with that Kakashi dashed forward preparing to send his hand through Zabuza's chest when he felt three prickles hit his lightning covered hand. Looking down, Kakashi saw three senbon lounged in his hand and a gloved hand holding them in place.

Looking at the unmasked hunter-nin with singed clothes and hair, Kakashi looked into the face of Zabuza's own private hunter-nin. He was shocked to see that the boy was really a girl. _'This gets more confusing by the second,' _Kakashi thought before charging his _Raikiri_ to full power electrocuting the hunter-nin to unconsciousness and melting the disabling senbon in his hand.

Recharging his _Raikiri,_ Kakashi looked down at the unconscious girl and back at the seething Zabuza. Kakashi figured that this was his last chance to kill the mist-nin when a large bone shot up out of the ground, freeing Zabuza of his confines and stopping his killing strike on Zabuza for the second time.

"Damnit," Kakashi whispered to himself while watching his _Raikiri_ fade. Even if he wanted to kill Zabuza now; he didn't have the chakra to do it. Looking at the mist-nin who was carrying Haku on his shoulder, he also looked to be in no position to fight. However, before either man could call out a truce, a voice cut through the thick mist.

"So the Demon of The Mist fails to kill one lone Konoha-nin and his kid team. You're losing your edge Zabuza," the voice said. The man behind it, which revealed Gatou's frail form, was standing in front of a small army.

The battle thirsty men stood ready and when Gatou said, "Triple is what I will pay the man who brings me Zabuza's head," the mob roared in approval. Getting set for the charge the largest man let out a warcry before a serrated blade ripped through his chest and before all of his men, pulled out his rib cage.

Morale fell like a wounded bird, and the shiningami's cold chakra seeped through the mist, chilling their bones and leaving them shaking husks of their once battle ready selves. Slowly Naruto used _Kuekikami _to pick off the men one by one until only Gatou remained.

Looking left and right, Gatou saw that his army was gone and that he was alone in the mist. Straining his eyes he saw a figure that was walking towards him and when it came into the clearing, he could have sworn he was looking into the face of death.

Naruto stood over the cowering man with his claymore poised for the death blow while looking into Gatou's eyes Naruto said in a cold monotone, 'Your soul will be cleansed.." In that moment Gatou saw all the wrong he had done in his life Naruto lowered his arm, bringing the claymore through the corrupt businessman, ripping his body and soul in two.

The drain of exorcising an evil soul shot through Naruto, and before he knew it the fatigue of his battle with Kimimaro caught up to him and he was down for the count. Tenken looked down at his retainer and up at his companions before saying**, 'Well it seems I have found a worthy partner. To survive a **_**Shikai**_(Initial Release) **for so long on the first try is truly amazing, but I can't wait to see what he does with Bankai,' **and falling back into Naruto's body, waiting for the boy to awaken.

A/N: How did you like it? I finally got off the Shikai and I got to say I LOVE IT, the idea came from when I watched the final fantasy 13 versus trailer on the internet and saw the hero (whose outfit resembles Naruto released form) and his floating weapons. Slowly I pieced together what weapons Naruto should use seeing as a few of my reviews wanted him to be a weapon master. So when I couldn't figure out which one to choose I got greedy and choose them all, but I couldn't find a logical way Naruto would get nine weapons until I thought of Kyuubi the NINE tailed fox and it all clicked together. As for Kimimaro's devilish look it's not the curse seal, but some what of a preview for his future powers. Well tell me what you think and I'd really appreciate it (I mean really appreciate it) if you guys and girls checked out my other fic Fate's Rewrite because that one's going to have even crazier powers than this one. So Merry Belated Christmas, Happy New Year and til next time.

Technique Logue: Another Doozie

_Shikotsumyaku_/ Dead Bone Pulse

Is the kekkei genkai of the extinct Kaguya clan, which gave them the frightening ability to manipulate their own skeletal structure. They had free control over the cells responsible for bone growth and replacement, allowing them to manipulate their bones at will. They could protrude their bones out through their skin, had free control over bone density, and could even completely regenerate a lost bone. All this makes their bodies virtually indestructible, and any point of contact on the body could become as sharp as a spear tip, giving them a nearly perfect defense. The Kaguya clan utilizes this ability in their many sword dances, named after flowers or plants, usually creating a variety of bone weapons that were used in conjunction with powerful and graceful taijutsu movements. The ability seems to be rare amongst the clan members, as Kimimaro Kaguya was the only one to exhibit it out of his entire clan. (wikipedia)

_Teishuurai_/ Air Raid

Naruto self taught kenjutsu style, rough around the edges but is deadly in its own right. As of now it has no defensive proprieties but is unpredictable like its creator.

_Tsubaki no Mai_/ Dance of the Camellia

Kimimaro performs this jutsu by modifying the forearm bone of either his right or left arm to create a short, hiltless bone sword. Since he can increase and compress the density of his bones, he can make the sword harder than steel. He then uses the sword to fight; his style uses quick cuts and thrusts to disable opponents quickly. With Kimimaro's formidable taijutsu skills, he can easily defeat a large number of people very quickly.

_Karamatsu no Mai_/ Dance of the Larch

Kimimaro uses this jutsu to create a mass of razor-sharp bone spikes all over his body. These spines appear to be branches off his preexisting skeletal structure rather than complete new bones. Kimimaro is even able to grow these bones at an extremely rapid rate so they can stab an opponent even as they are growing. He can even use them to block or trap an opponent's strikes. In addition to being an unwelcome surprise for opponents, it makes him basically untouchable at close range. (wikipedia)

_Yanagi no Mai_/ Dance of the Willow

To perform this dance, Kimimaro grows several long bone blades out of his body for use as weapons. Though he primarily uses two blades grown from the palms of his hands, he also uses several secondary bones grown from his elbows, knees, and shoulders. This dance form is incredibly acrobatic, using spins, charges, and long sweeping slashes to make the strikes more effective and to evade opponents' counterstrikes. Kimimaro can also extend his bones to attack his opponents without having to adjust his own movement, a principle also used in his Dance of the Larch. (wikipedia)

_Tessenka no Mai: Tsuru_/ Dance of the Clematis: Vine

Using his kekkei genkai, Kimimaro can modify and pull out his own spinal column to use as a flexible chainstaff, regrowing a new spine to replace the removed one. The protrusions on the vertebra are modified to make them stronger and sharper. (wikipedia)

_Tessenka no Mai: Hana_/ Dance of the Clematis: Flower

This is a follow-up to the Dance of the Clematis: Vine. Kimimaro's entire forearm is encased in a giant drill made of bone to attack the trapped victim. The bone is strengthened (through compression and its plaited spiral shape) to become the hardest type of bone the body can produce. The bone resembles a flower, hence the name.

_Tenken: Kyuubun_/ Divine Punishment: Split Into Nine (Roughly)

Naruto's release command for his zanpakuto pushing the blade to the next level and increasing his strength tenfold.

_Chidori_/ One Thousand Birds

This jutsu is Kakashi's only original technique, though he now uses an S-ranked version known as the Lightning Blade. He created it around the time he was promoted to Jonin, and later taught it to Sasuke. This jutsu channels a large amount of chakra into the user's arm. The amount of chakra is so great that it becomes visible to the naked eye. The technique actually alters the nature of the user's chakra, effectively converting it into electricity. As a side effect of the conversion process, the large amount of chakra, and the speed at which the user moves, this technique makes a loud noise similar to many birds chirping, hence the name (if the user is not in motion, it merely makes a electric crackling sound). Once the technique is completed, the user charges forward and stabs their enemy with it. The amount of thrust combined with the large concentration of chakra allows the user to stab through almost anything; as such it is usually fatal to the enemy. This technique is classified as an assassination technique because of the speed at which it is performed, despite the loud noise it produces. (wikipedia)

_Sawarabi no Mai_/ Dance of the Young Ferns

The user quickly grows a multitude of tall spikes from their body to create a large forest of bone. While in this form, they can merge into the bone trees to attack the target from whichever spike they want.

_Kuekikami_/ Nine War Gods (Roughly)

Naruto's released soul slayer. Has nine different weapons that make up the whole of the soul slayer which are then spilt up into groups that work together as a unit.

_Shouki_/ Initial Stage

The first set of Naruto's released zanpankuto's weapons.

_Kuekikami: Epe_/ Rapier: quick attacking sword that does minimal damage, but breaks down guards.

_Kuekikami: Ono_/ Axe: one hit wonder that is back up with wind chakra that will break the ground the under the opponent with massive air pressure.

_Kuekikami: Reppuu_/ Whirlwind: A naginata that not only acts as a platform for the user, but can unleash typhoon winds at any target.

_Chuuki_/ Middle Stage

The second level of the _Kuekikami _nine weapons. Harder to wield than _Shouki_ but are much deadlier.

_Kuekikami: Tsume_/ Claw: A gauntlet attached to the chain acting as a way to capture opponents setting them up for more powerful attacks.

_Kuekikami: Sumasshu_/ Smash: A mace the size of a human skull when preparing for the attack, but before contact bloats to the size of a boulder to maximize damage.

_Kuekikami: Ken_/ Sting: Double edged sword that has an opening in the middle to launch chakra bursts of amazing power. Aside from that nothing more really stands out for this weapon.

_Kouki_/ Final Stage

The last and strongest set of weapons available to Naruto's _Kuekikami_. They are both hazardous to the user and victim seeing as it reaps souls indiscriminately.

_Kuekikami: Katana_/ Katana: Lightning fast katana slash that uses air pressure and a vacuum to rip the opponent apart.

_Kuekikami: Heki_/ Tear: A serrated sword wraps around a victim before being torn off in a flash rending flesh beyond repair.

_Kuekikami: Minori_/ Harvest: the last and most powerful of the _Kuekikami _this claymore can not only cut through almost anything but it literally rips a soul in two, it is the ultimate in Naruto's soul reaping weapons.

_Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu_/ Summoning: Earth Releasing: Tracking Fang Technique

This jutsu summons eight Ninken (ninja dogs) directly into the ground. The Ninken follow a scent given to them during the summoning and burst from the ground under it, grabbing whatever target happens to be there at the time. (wikipedia)

_Raikiri_/ Lightning Blade

This jutsu is an enhanced form of the One Thousand Birds, and has the same, albeit more powerful, effect. Kakashi is the only one able to use it, and it is named as such because he once cut a lightning bolt with it. This jutsu requires a larger amount of chakra and better chakra control. This is exemplified in their respective appearances. Whereas One Thousand Birds creates a large mass of chakra in one hand that appears near-white, the Lightning Blade is considerably more concentrated and appears in the normal blue color of chakra. Kakashi can only use this technique four times in a given day. (wikipedia)

_Shikai_/ Initial Release

The power of a zanpakuto when used in harmony with the soul of it and its user. Increases the duo's power tenfold.

Black Saint


	9. Trouble's Brewing

"": Spoken

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

The drain of exorcising an evil soul shot through Naruto, and before he knew it the fatigue of his battle with Kimimaro caught up to him and he was down for the count. Tenken looked down at his retainer and up at his conpanions before saying**, 'Well it seems I have found a worthy partner. To survive a **_**Shikai**_** for so long on the first try is truly amazing, but I can't wait to see what he does with Bankai,' **and falling back into Naruto's body, waiting for the boy to awaken.

Chapter 9: Troubles Brewing…

Joyous laughter woke Naruto up from his slumber. Groggily he opened his eyes only to see he wasn't surrounded by the ever present mist of the wave but was under the crimson skies of Makai.

'_More Kyuubi time?' _Naruto asked himself while looking through the eyes of a dead demon king. Unlike the last times, this dream's sound was really a hassle to deal with, seeing as everyone around him was cheering. Inspecting his surroundings more thoroughly, Naruto noted that there was more food and wine surrounding him than all of Konoha's combined Kyuubi festivals.

Noting the different faces and hair colors surrounding him Naruto figured, _'There are all demons,' _when he noticed that all the chakra levels that surrounded him were at least twice that of his, Kakashi's, and Zabuza's combined. However, one signature stood out and it was the one closest to him. Unlike the wild flares that the youki in the party had, the creature beside him had a chakra cooling aura like spring water.

Looking down, Naruto saw that the woman beside him was none other than the same woman who had went from trying to assassinate him to having wild sex with him a few dreams ago. Even though he was too shocked to think; Naruto felt Kyuubi smile and look towards the two delicate lines on her neck that where slightly swollen on her bronze skin.

"**You know it still stings,"** the woman told him, or rather Kyuubi, and to his surprise instead of being the angry demon lord that the villagers described him as Kyuubi just chuckled, which sent shivers down Naruto and the woman's spine.

"**But we both know you liked it,"** Kyuubi whispered, breathing heavily on the woman's bite marks. She let out a semi-silent moan, which no one but Kyuubi could hear, during the overly loud party. Feeling a smirk play on his face, Naruto felt his body continue to stimulate the sexual responses out of the woman beside him. Stopping himself short from having a full out session in front of his guests Kyuubi saw the woman pout before sighing a little.

Kyuubi knew what was wrong and in a surprisingly gentle voice said**, "You know you don't have to stay here. I'd follow you to ****the ****end of the world, even if it meant going to the heart of the Shinigami ****capital."** His words got the desired reaction and the gloom hovering over her was washed away.

"**You know I can't do that, and besides what's the point of getting us both killed…,"** the woman stated before shifting her neck giving him a better view of his mating mark. **"And besides I kinda like being Lady of all Makai, even if it means becoming an enemy to all of my people." **The woman finished flashing Kyuubi, and Naruto, a genuine smile before the dream faded out.

Topside…

Naruto wasn't in the darkness for long, because after the dream faded away he felt his energy return to him and the need for sleep almost disappear. Opening both his eyes, Naruto saw something that gave him instant déjà vu. The smile he was looking at was the exact same one he had seen Kyuubi's lover flash him before his dream faded. Looking at the silky black hair draped over him, Naruto couldn't help but think that he was still in the dream but when he tried to check he heard, "You shouldn't try move. You were chakra exhausted and you'll only hurt yourself if you strain your body."

Looking back at the face above him, Naruto saw that all the similarities the girl above him had with Kyuubi's lover were starting to mesh. The noses, mouths, and eye shapes were the same, but the skin tone and eye colors were different. It was as if Naruto was looking at Kyuubi's lover reborn. Sitting up, Naruto saw the girl move to lay him back down before he said, "There's no need, I'm fine," and to his surprise she just giggled.

"You are as stubborn as Kimimaro-kun, so please lay down and rest or you'll never recover," the girl added before laying Naruto down. He grumbled a bit and decided to let it out. "Listen you don't seem to understand; I heal quickly and believe me, my chakra is fine so if you will just let me up…" but the girl was hearing none of it as she just ignored him and stared unwinding his bandages. Suppressing another grumble, Naruto just laid back and decided to sneak out as soon as the mystery girl left. Unfortunately she had no intention of leaving and as soon as she finished replacing his bandages, she started a conversation with him.

"You know I should thank you, because from what Kimimaro-kun told me, you had a perfect opportunity to end his life and you spared him. For that I am in your debt and I will do all in my power to repay you," the girl said. Naruto just looked at her before saying, "Don't mention it…,"

"Haku," the girl cut in before smiling politely. Naruto nodded and continued, "Like I said don't mention it, but if you want to repay me you could let me get up and we will be just about even." Haku just frowned before saying, "I'm sorry that is out of my power, seeing as your sensei directed me to take care of you seeing as you will be our new guide for our life in Konoha."

'_Life in Konoha!!' _Naruto mentally yelled while choking on the medicine Haku had just forced down his throat. The girl giggled again before saying, "Yes, apparently Kakashi stuck a deal with Zabuza before you handled Gatou and if they survived he would find a way to help us into Konoha." Naruto just looked dumbstruck at the girl before forcing himself up. His chakra was full and he didn't give a damn what she said; he had a bone to pick with Kakashi. Unfortunately, Haku had dealt with Naruto's type before and with a few precise jabs with a senbon, Naruto was on his back and paralyzed from the neck down.

"Now be a good boy and go back to bed," Haku told Naruto flashing him another déjà vu grin before leaving him in the room to think. Closing the sliding screen door behind her, Haku was about to get something to eat before bringing some food up for Naruto when she saw Kimimaro out of the corner of her eye. He was also heavily bandaged like Naruto, but that didn't stop him from training or saying, "You know your kindness always brings trouble."

Looking at her brotherly figure, Haku suppressed a giggle before telling him, "And your need to disobey my orders for bed rest will bring you trouble Kimimaro-kun and besides you and Zabuza need a kind person to stay with you," smirking when Kimimaro had no retort. Kimimaro remained stoic before pushing himself off the wall and leaving without a word, but his message had been sent and Haku just stood by the doorway giggling.

Going back to her original mission, Haku heard Sasuke yell to Sakura, "Get off me woman; I'm fine!!" while Haku got a bowl of rice and fish for herself and Naruto. Watching Sasuke sulk and Sakura sit across from him obviously mad because he was being sour about getting help, the girl just watched as he struggle to get the rice bits into his mouth with his chakra exhausted _Chidori_-sore hand. Shaking her head at the egotistical boy, Haku was about to make her way to Naruto room when she saw Naruto giving it to Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei how could you volunteer me for something like that?!" The boy whispered harshly trying not to draw attention. Kakashi just slid his copy of Icha Icha Paradise into his jacket pocket before telling Naruto, "Because you are the only one that is fit enough to do it. Just imagine for a second Sasuke, leading the family of girl who defeated him in battle around town and trying to make them comfortable, or Sakura who would probably be too afraid of Kimimaro or Zabuza to help. So the only logical choice is you," Kakashi finished before rubbing his hand in Naruto's already messy hair and followed the path of life.

"Perverted-bastard," Naruto spat in a hushed voice while watching his sensei walk down the hallway reading his little orange book. Sighing, Naruto tried to make sense of his dreams and his new dilemma, and to his luck Haku appeared from around the corner with lunch.

'_Thank God for the little things,' _Naruto thought to himself before forgetting about all of his problems...for a little while at least.

On The Road to Konoha

'_Screw God for the little things,'_ Naruto cried out in his mind while shaking off the daggers that Kimimaro was sending at him. He and Haku had a very interesting conversation over lunch and Naruto found out that the girl was a pleasure to be around when she wasn't throwing senbon at your teammate or jabbing you in the neck with them. The two became fast friends, but Naruto could tell just by the sad twinkle in her eyes; that she hid a deep sadness like him and with that, he realized there were others that could understand him.

It was too bad for them that Kimimaro was overprotective of his adoptive sister. Given that he would lose if he fought Naruto again, but he knew that he couldn't win but at least he would maim Naruto if he had to and that was enough of a daydream for him to pass the time. Zabuza, being Haku's adoptive father, didn't like the fact that she was so attached to a boy she just met, but seeing as he could defeat Kimimaro, he decided to wait to pass his judgment on Naruto.

'_And oh what a day that will be,' _Zabuza thought gleefully while sneaking glances at Kakashi's latest issue of Icha Icha Paradise. Kakashi just let out a sigh before handing Zabuza his back-up copy and going back to his beloved book. Sakura just shook her head at her pervert sensei and looked back up at the sky. The trip had been the most taxing on her. Not only did everyone else have something to do, person she usually tried to talk to , Sasuke, was still sulking about his loss. Keeping to her vow to stop coddling the black haired boy, Sakura just let her mind wander as the seemingly endless walking continued.

'_How is it that he defeated Kimimaro? He is stronger than Haku, the one I… lost to,'_ Sasuke brooded while looking at the couple chatting merrily. The trip had given him time to think, but it also ate at his overinflatted ego. Even after the humbling experience, Sasuke couldn't accept that the 'dobe' of the class had defeated an enemy greater than the one he had lost to. _'But I have the SHARINGAN!!' _Sasuke's ego roared while glaring at the boy.

Flaring the red irises and black tomoe to life, Sasuke stared at Naruto while thinking, _'what secrets are you hiding, dobe?'_ The piercing gaze saw straight through the haze of chakra that always surrounded Naruto, but before Sasuke could inspect Naruto any further, the said boy turned around and met Sasuke's stare.

With one look, Naruto's tolerance for the whole situation flew out the window. Flaring his _Juushuu Chakra,_ Naruto didn't suppress his grin when Sasuke had to turn away from the thick layer of chakra blinding his _Sharingan_. No one saw the secret war between the two boys, but Naruto knew that everyone felt the tension between the two making the long journey home even more unbearable.

It had taken three days to get back to Konoha and Naruto was three seconds away from gouging Sasuke's eyes out. Deciding to turn his attention to a hardly awake Sakura, Naruto watched the girl try to stagger home for a well earned shower after playing peacemaker for him and Sasuke the last three days. The girl was about to round the corner when Kakashi called her back for the mission report.

Once in the tower, Naruto shot a glare at the secretary in order to keep her from saying anything to him or the guests and proceeded into the Hokage's Office. Naruto smirked when he saw the Hokage do a double take before demanding an explanation as to why three Missing-Nins were in his office including the famed Demon of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza.

Saving the old man from having to hear another of Kakashi's lame excuses, Naruto butted in and told the Hokage the whole story of the battle at the bridge. By the end, the Hokage looked surprised and disturbed at the same time. Scanning Naruto's face for any lies, the Hokage nodded when he found none and told the group in front of him, "You are dismissed for the time being. For now I need to have a meeting with my advisors over this matter, so why don't you show the new Leaf hopefuls the village while you wait," dismissing the group.

Sasuke immediately left to his own estate, _'probably to brood and train,'_ Naruto told himself while watching Sakura try to walk herself home before she passed out in the Hokage's Office. Kakashi simply disappeared before reminding Naruto, "You are in charge of showing our guesses around the village."

Grumbling, Naruto walked off in the opposite direction of his two teammates before trying to find someone to help him with the job of guiding three ex-mist nins around Konoha, and maybe be there to help him if Kimimaro decided he was a little 'too' close to his adoptive sister.

Walking by the Hyuuga estate, Naruto's prayers were answered when Hinata came through the gates and hurried over to him.

"Naruto-kun! How did your mission go?" Hinata asked while embracing the boy. Noticing the spike in killing intent from behind him, Naruto was sure that if Hinata didn't get off him now he may not see the light of day again. Luckily for him, the girl released him when she noticed the almost inaudible sigh Haku let out. Moving to the other girl Hinata introduced herself.

"Hyuuga Hinata," the heiress told the girl waiting for a reply. Haku just nodded and mumbled, "Momochi Haku," while pushing down any jealous thoughts in her head. Putting on a smile, Haku started a conversation with Hinata in hopes to make a friend in her new home.

"So when did you meet Naruto?" the Hyuuga Heiress asked her new friend. Much like Naruto she found Haku to be a pleasure to be around and when she found out that the girl had spent most of her time with Naruto, the little matchmaker in her head started formulating ideas.

"During the mission," Haku answered not wanting Hinata to know that they were on opposite sides at first. It wasn't exactly lying, but it still made the older girl feel guilty especially since it was to such a kind girl like Hinata.

"Oh that's good," Hinata said, dropping the subject when she saw Haku's aura change. Her Byakugan training was advancing quickly for someone her age, rivaling even that of Neji's, so it was easy for her to see emotion changes even without the help of the all-seeing eyes. Smiling, Hinata pointed to her favorite ninja gear shop before starting another conversation, "So what do you think of Naruto-kun?"

Haku's heart fell a bit when she heard the added kun to Naruto's name. _'Is he taken? Why do I care so much?' _Haku asked herself before she noticed Hinata's eyebrow rise a bit. The Hyuuga noticed Haku's aura change to uncertainty and smiled inwardly. The smile grew outward and before Haku could see the coy look on the girl's face she heard, "Believe me Naruto-kun's like a brother to me, a completely oblivious brother, but still a brother and besides I think that guy over there is kind of cute."

Blushing a bit, Haku was about to protest to Hinata's insinuation when she noticed what guy Hinata was looking at. _'You can't be serious,'_ Haku asked herself when she saw who Hinata was looking at. Kimimaro was oblivious to the attention he was getting and just kept his glare trained on the blonde in front of him. Haku looked at Hinata before looking back at her brother and telling Hinata, "Well you have your work cut out for you, because not once have I ever seen Kimimaro-kun smile."

"Well that makes this even more fun," Hinata told her new friend following them back into the Hokage's tower. Now that the village tour was over, now the official initiation into the Konoha shinobi ranks came. Naruto and Hinata stood outside the door while the three Missing-Nins walked into the Hokage's office.

Taking the seat offering each of the battle tested nin looked at the three people stationed in front of them. They had already met the Hokage, but the man and woman beside him were a mystery to them. The Hokage kept his normal friendly smile on while introducing his two companions.

"This is Homura and Koharu; they are my former teammates and now council advisors. They have been kind enough to set arrangements for you," the Kage told the three in front on him. Sitting back, Sarutobi let his advisors take the floor and direct the meeting.

"Momochi Zabuza, former member of the Mist's Seven Swordsmen, and contender for the title of Mizukage, willing to going as far as to perform a coup d'état," Homura stated while sizing Zabuza up. Looking to Koharu, Homaru nodded before saying aloud, "I know it will be useless to try and pry into your mind for any secrets you may be hiding…," while looking intently at Zabuza's headband.

The mist shifted uneasily while ignoring the burning on his forehead. _'Damn seal, if it gets us booted out of this village I swear…'_ but Zabuza never finished his thoughts seeing as Koharu spoke up. "We know of the binding seal you have to the Mizukage and we know of the reasons of your failed coup d'état, but don't hold it against us if we don't completely trust you, so to remedy the situation we are assigning you to a special jonin team."

Nodding Zabuza hid his relief and scratched the seal under his hiate. It was one of the few times that Zabuza revealed the seal out in public because it was a constant reminder of his servitude to the bastard he once called his Kage. Listening to the old duo ramble on a bit, Zabuza tuned in when he heard the conversation shift. The two came in the door opposite of the one where Naruto and Hinata were waiting, two figures walked in. Looking at the male and female Zabuza thought, _'Maybe this won't be boring.'_

"Here they are, Mitarashi Anko and Morino Ibiki. They are your partners and your supervisors until you earn the village's trust. So you may not leave the village walls without them or permission from them, otherwise you will be considered a missing-nin," Homaru warned Zabuza before letting him leave with his new team.

"So what are your specialties?" the masked Nin asked while walking out the door.

'_Oh I think you will find them fitting partners Momochi-san,'_ Homaru thought before turning to the mist swordsmen's wards. Being a firm believer in chivalry, Homaru started with the girl first.

"Momochi Haku, Hunter Nin for Zabuza's coup d'état army, and only surviving member of the _Aisu_ _Clan_. Those are huge accomplishments for someone so young," Homaru told the girl. Haku looked at the man in surprise while thinking_, 'He knows of my clan!? But I thought… no if he knew of Zabuza's marking then it is only reasonable that he knows of my clan.'_ Sensing the girl's confusion Homaru said, "We in Konoha make it our business to know what's happening in other countries, especially ones that love war." Haku just nodded and waited for her assignment.

Homaru looked over the report Kakashi had written and turned to Komaru discussing the options they had open. The seconds ticked by and Haku grew more and more nervous until Koharu cleared her throat and said, "Child, it seems both your guardian and one of our own Jonin hold you in high respect. They both said you exhibit Jonin level skills, but you show distain for killing. It's strange, but we can accommodate that by drafting you into the Med-Nin program."

Looking up, Haku stared at the two in surprise. What they said was true, killing hadn't been her favorite pastime, but it was a necessity. Now she was given an opportunity to heal instead of harm, _'but would that make me useless?'_ the girl wondered while saying, "I would like that, but what of my…," but she was cut off by Koharu.

"Do not worry child, our med-nin are renowned to be excellent shinobi as well so do not worry of being useless," the elder woman said as if she had read the girl's mind. Continuing, Koharu said, "Besides, one of our Legendary Sanin was med-nin and her strength is feared throughout the whole shinobi world." Nodding, Haku's worries were settled and she looked to her brother.

The two turned their attention to the boy and began their analysis. "Kaguya Kimimaro, no its Momochi Kimimaro now isn't it," Homaru started expressing his interest in the change. From the note's Kakashi had Zabuza write about his team, the council advisors realized that Kimimaro had more distain for his old clan name than the people who destroyed them. Nodding Kimimaro silently agreed before letting the two elders continue.

"Like your sister here, you are the only surviving member of your clan aren't you?" the old man asked and again got another nod. Nodding back he continued saying, "Well, we have done our research and decided to make you our personal pupil," while motioning for his partner to agree. Koharu nodded in approval and the Hokage sat up in surprise, but before he could say anything Koharu told him, "Calm down Sasuke, we won't teach him the most destructive parts of our art so don't worry." She said, trying to calm down her old teammate.

Kimimaro looked at the three elders in front of him and with his normal monotone voice asked, "What is this art that you are trying to teach me?" All three of the elders stopped their debate and looked to the boy who hadn't said anything in the whole conversation. Sighing, Sasuke let his teammates answer the question.

"We ourselves use a distinct form of jutsu, in an attempt to distinguish ourselves from our teammate and Hokage also known as the professor, who has mastery of all Leaf jutsu," Koharu began before letting Homaru pick up. "We instead followed the route of seals, tutoring Sasuke's pupil Jiraiya in the art, who in turn tutored the fourth, the greatest seal master of his time." Looking at the boy to make sure he was following, Homaru waited for the boy to comment and wasn't disappointed.

"So you want me to become a seal master?" The two nodded and Kimimaro said in his normal monotone, "But I am a taijutsu specialist, ninjutsu has never been my style." The two older shinobi sighed a bit before Homaru said, "I should have expected this, but in truth; seals are ninjutsu but only to a certain level. They do consume chakra, but unlike ninjutsu, they can have a plethora of effects, such as…" the man led off before laying his hand on the desk in front of him. Letting some chakra seep through his hands, he then made lightning quick marks on the desk before it erupted into sawdust. Sarutobi let out a sigh and said, "Do you always have to do that demonstration?" Homaru just smiled and said, "Yes, because it leaves the most memorable effects."

It was true, both of the ex-mist shinobi were shocked, but only Haku showed it. Kimimaro nodded his head before expressing his interest in the subject.

"Tell me more."

Homaru smirked and said, "Well we have a believer now, but that is only one of the many things that can be done with seals. Another being this…," and with a single motion, Homaru rebuilt the mahogany desk as fast as he disintegrated it. Kimimaro nodded and without words urged them to continue. Koharu took over for her partner and said, "This is only the tip of the iceberg, true masters of the art can transmute objects to their desires or even complete much more destructive and complicated maneuvers without the aid of a seal." the elder told the boy and by the look on his face his was in.

Watching his teammates wrap up their conversation with their new pupil, Sasuke thought to himself, _'My teammates have found someone to pass their knowledge onto, but who will be my successor?' _The old scar from his former pupil lay heavy on his heart and the upcoming Chunin Exam was making him worry, especially with this new village of the Sound.

Dismissing the two shinobi, Sasuke gave Kimimaro the key to their new apartment and told him that Zabuza would meet them there. Seeing the two leave through the doors they came in, the Sarutobi smiled when he noticed that Naruto and the Hyuuga heiress were there waiting for them. _'Well at least I know my village will be alright,'_ the old man told himself; sure that Naruto would be there for this village just as he was for these newcomers.

That Night…

'_Never again,'_ Naruto told himself while walking Haku and Kimimaro home. Hinata had been dropped off at the Hyuuga Estate a few minutes ago after a long afternoon of 'showing' the new shinobi around town. _'More like having an excuse to spend the day shopping,' _Naruto grumbled to himself, while holding Haku's bags. Originally the girl had offered to carry them, but after some convincing by Hinata, much to Naruto's dismay, she managed to get Naruto to carry them.

Now after a solid five hour block of shopping, Naruto was finally on his way home. _'My feet ache, my head hurts, and if I every have to model gear for them again I think I'll scream _(1)_,' _Naruto told himself while they continued to walk in silence. It had been like that ever since Hinata left, the girl had been the life of the party and without her everyone seemed content on just staring, or in Kimimaro's case glaring, at each other awkwardly. _'She even managed to get Kimimaro off my back,'_ Naruto added while recalling how the Hyuuga heiress had drawn Kimimaro into a conversation, no matter how one sided, and managed to get him to stop glaring at Naruto everytime he tried to talk to Haku.

Now the awkward silence was killing him and Naruto didn't have any idea how to break it. Turning to the girl Naruto said, "Well how was the tour?" unsure of what to talk about. Turning to Kimimaro, Naruto felt relief pass through him when he noticed that Kimimaro was either too drawn into his own thought to care or too tired to object to him talking to his sister.

Haku smiled shyly and told Naruto, "It was… interesting, but Hinata seems a bit…," Haku started unsure of what she wanted to say would upset Naruto; but lucky for her the boy had a sense of humor.

"-Off… yeah I know, but you should have seen her before I got through to her. She was a stuttering mess who was shyer than a newborn kitten," Naruto said before laughing at the thought. Haku giggled a little and heard Naruto say, "Just don't tell her I said that, because I don't need to give her a reason to practice her _Jyuuken _on me." Nodding, Haku giggled again causing Naruto to chuckle as well.

Kimimaro shot Naruto a look that wasn't quite a glare for a second before turning his eyes back to the front. _'What was that about?'_ Naruto asked before turning his attention back to Haku. They chatted for a while, until they reached the address on the direction where it was leading them.

Looking up from the paper, Naruto couldn't believe where they were or that he hadn't noticed the address before. Looking down to make sure it was right, Naruto said to himself, _'I'll get you back for this Ji-san,'_ before guiding the two to their apartment.

"This is you guys, and this is me," Naruto told them before pointing to the apartment next to it. Kimimaro nodded and went inside, probably to catch some sleep, leaving Haku and Naruto outside. The awkward silence was back, but before Naruto could break it, Haku gave the boy a quick hug and muttered, "Thank you so much for giving us this second chance," before darting inside. Naruto just stood there for a second before telling himself…

'_Why is this so complicated?'_

In The Deserts Of Wind Country…

The dust was settling after a climatic finish to a Kage level battle. Standing above the Yondaime Kazekage, Orochimaru took a second to really look at the man who was almost as twisted as he was. This man had taken preserved samples from the Sandaime, master of the iron sand, and grafted them into his own body in an surprisingly successful attempt to give him some leverage over his son. It worked and one of the few considered equal to Konoha's Yondaime, gained the ability to use the iron sand…

However that hadn't saved him, abd Orochimaru looked down at the man's eyes that were quickly losing the light of life. Glee spread through him when he realized, _'Konoha's destruction is assured now!'_ Then it dawned on him, _'I would have died if it weren't for Kabuto…,'_

The truth was the Kazekage had Orochimaru pinned under his iron sand, and even now as the man's lingering chakra left for the spirit realm, Orochimaru could still feel the prickle of the tiny grains of sand tearing through his skin like a hot kunai. Turning to his silver haired ward, Orochimaru saw the boy pick up his glasses that had been lost in battle and subdued the growing chuckling within him.

'_Maybe it is his only link to his true self, or something he needs to hold on to,'_ Orochimaru told himself while recalling Kabuto when he summoned up his 'old blood' and his abilities spiked.

'_Almost frighteningly,'_ Orochimaru commented when he saw the med-nin's abilities grew to a semi-kage level tipping the battle in his favor. _'And to think I never suspected that this child would be able to reach this level, but then again his 'parents' __were__ both more than minor annoyances to me,'_ the Snake Sanin added while calling his assistant over to him.

"Kabuto, why don't you use that special ability of yours? I believe that it will be very useful in the near future," Orochimaru told the silver haired boy, who just went to the task with single minded determination. Watching the once dead man slowly be brought back to life, Orochimaru chuckled to himself while thinking, _'Konoha will fall!!'_

**A/N: Its been a long break hasn't it? Almost a month, but now I'm back ad I'll tell you the story has evolved to something much greater than what I first envisioned, but you'll have to wait and see. Anyway what do you think? I know the chapter was a bit slow, but it was necessary. Hopefully the scene at the end has you thinking, because several things there will play a big role in the future especial Kabuto's powers. Well that's it for now and I'll be back with more.**

Technique Logue: Not that long today

_Aisu Clan/_Ice Clan

Native to the Village of the Mist, the clan was driven almost to extinction after another one of the village's many wars. But unlike most cases the clan was killed by its own village when the Mizukage's decreed stated them too powerful for their own good. So the masters of ice where killed leaving only one known survivor, Momochi Haku.

Random Stuff

(1) If you watch Scrubs then this should seem familiar. It's sort of a rehash of the scene where Jordan and Elliot have Dr. Cox and Elliot's current boyfriend (can't remember his name) modeling clothes for their benefit (they went as far as to call them purses, purses that don't speak.).

Black Saint

P.S. All the chapters including this one have been edited by Dragon and Sword Master so please check it out. Personally I'd like to give a huge thanks to him for seeing past (had to put that in), my horrid grammar and making the most out of the chapters. Hopefully they are better understood and the story will flow better. Thanks again man and for all those who are reading (REVIEW!!)


	10. Prelims For A Would Be Chunin…

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts_

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

"Kabuto, why don't you use that special ability of yours? I believe that it will be very useful in the near future," Orochimaru told the silver haired boy, who just went to the task with single minded determination. Watching the once dead man slowly be brought back to life, Orochimaru chuckled to himself while thinking, _'Konoha will fall!!!'_

Chapter 10: Prelims for a Would-Be Chunin…

Naruto woke up, gasping for breath as if someone had just been strangling him. Bringing his hand to his neck, Naruto looked around for some sort of invisible foe. His search proved futile as all of his worries of a silent assailant were in vain and while rubbing his sore throat, Naruto decided that he had gotten enough sleep and it was time to start his day. Starting with a warm shower, Naruto let his mind wander back to the dream he was having before being torn away from it by the choking feeling.

It was vague, but the dream had some prophetic properties to it, that much Naruto could tell. It felt like he was looking at a map and in the center was a great fire that roared over a land full of trees. It didn't take long for Naruto to put two and two together and figure out that the central fire was Fire Country, home to his village, Konoha.

What worried Naruto wasn't the fire, but what was happening to the west. In the desert, a serpent fought what looked like to be the earth itself. The battle raged and the purple snake took hit after hit of what looked to be glistening, metallic-like sand which tore through the reptile's scales like paper.

Suddenly after a burst of cold energy, the ground stopped attacking the snake. The desert grew silent as a grave before another burst of cold chakra awakened the ground. Rising up and surrounding the snake and instead of trying to kill the serpent, the sand coated it protectively.

Protecting the snake through the heat of the Fire Country flames, the sands opened a passage to a perfect replica of Konoha. In the heart of Fire Country, the snake coiled around Naruto's beloved city and just like that; Naruto's breath hitched as if it were coiling around his neck.

Watching in morbid fascination, Naruto watched the snake's grip on the village grow painfully tight and as his lung cried out for air, Naruto watched the snake stand up and loom above the constricted village and about to deliver a fatal blow to the village…

That was where the dream ended, Naruto never got to see what happened as the lack of air to his lungs became too bothersome for him to ignore anymore. Shaking the thoughts of the dream away, Naruto couldn't make much out of the dream except don't trust snakes, especially ones from Wind Country. If he only knew that this snake was as stealthy as he was devious

Dressing and eating, Naruto couldn't help but notice that every dream he had for the past few weeks were normal. His last 'weird' dream had been in Wave Country when he made the realization that the dreams he were experiencing were in fact the Kyuubi's. Grabbing his wooden katana, Naruto made his way to the door lost in thought.

'_It's almost been a month since my last vision. Jiji-san said that they were trying to tell me something, but I wonder what this one __means__.'_ Before Naruto could think of any solutions, he had arrived at his destination. Knocking on the door, Haku's smiling face greeted Naruto.

Giving her a grin of his own, Naruto walked into her apartment, which was right across from his, and asked in a pleasant voice, "Is Momochi-sensei here?" Nodding, Haku pointed to the black room which had an aura that just screamed stay away. Nodding back, Naruto sat down and waited for his kenjutsu sensei to come out of his room.

For the past few weeks, Naruto had been spending much of his free time with the Momochi Clan while they assimilated themselves into the Konoha lifestyle. The process was almost complete and each of them had fallen into their roles; Haku would wake up bright and early to prepare for her day at the hospital. In addition, Kimimaro also woke up who would then go somewhere to meet with his teachers; Homura and Koharu to learn some art that he promised would defeat Naruto.

'_Yeah right, if he thinks I'm just going to stand around and let myself get beaten then he has another thing coming,' _Naruto thought indignantly while waiting for his secret weapon to counter Kimimaro's claim.

Stepping out of his room, Momochi Zabuza, current head of Momochi Clan, received a dazzling smile from his adoptive daughter and a good morning from his temporary sword pupil.

"Morning Zabuza-san," Naruto called out, hoping to break the icy shield the man usually had around him. Zabuza grunted something about it being too early before taking some of the breakfast that Haku prepared when she got up. Seeing that Naruto would probably have to sit and wait for Zabuza to finish, Haku offered the boy some of her cooking.

Naruto would have refused, saying that he already ate, but after the look Zabuza gave him, Naruto took the food with lightning speed and guzzled it once he found out how good it tasted.

"Where'd you learn to cook like this Haku-chan? This stuff is amazing!" Naruto exclaimed without even looking up from his plate that he was currently devouring. Blushing, Haku's mind went blank for a second before Zabuza grunted, breaking her out of her reverie.

"Oh, its nothing, I've had to cook for Zabuza and Kimimaro-kun for the longest time, seeing as neither of them can cook nor even prepare food without it ending up a mess," Haku answered with a bit of shock from the compliment. Nodding, Naruto finished his meal before taking up the dishes, much to Haku's distress. Batting her away gently Naruto just shook his head before telling her, "I ate off it and I should be the one to clean and put it away."

Giving up, Haku just sighed and started on the other dishes before Naruto did those too. Hearing Zabuza stand, Naruto turned to the man just in time to hear him say, "Come on boy; let's get this lesson over with."

The trip to the training field was short, but Naruto knew it well. The clearing had been beaten to the point where no grass would grown due to over exposure to high levels of chakra and the constant dishevels it had to go through curtsey of the swords that dug up the ground.

Watching Zabuza pull Kubikiri Houcho off his back and slide into a stance, Naruto mimicked the man and positioned his sword the same way. Having his wooden sword parallel to the ground below him, Naruto gripped the sword at face level with the tip pointed towards his opponent.

Studying his stance, Zabuza couldn't help but grin through his bandages. The boy had learned much in the few weeks he had been practicing with him, and it felt good to be able to teach a pupil the noble art of swordplay like his teachers had done before him. Like his teachers, Zabuza's took great pleasure in overpowering, overwhelming, and out classing the boy while teaching him his noble art.

Their swords clashed again, Naruto's wooden sword couldn't contend with the strength that Zabuza was packing in his Kubikiri Houcho. Wrapping his _Juushuu Chakra_ around his sword like usual, Naruto unleashed his _Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_.

The wind ripped through the air much faster than it did in Wave Country as a constitution to Naruto's growing skill. Zabuza met Naruto's attack and applied a little chakra to his sword and _'Bam,'_ the new Konoha Nin thought loudly when his sword cut right through Naruto's air slash. The displaced air managed to kick up a lot of loose dust that had settled on the beaten field, but it wasn't enough to stop the ex-Mist swordsman, especially one specializing in silent assassination.

Appearing behind Naruto with his sword raised high above his head, Zabuza used his chakra to blunt the sword, intending to give the boy a rather nasty bruise instead of killing him; however, when he went in for the finishing blow Naruto spun around and met his blade with an equally chakra enhanced wooden sword.

'_His defense has gotten better. Let's see how much,'_ Zabuza thought while holding Naruto down with one hand. The boy grunted below his strength and using both arms, Naruto pushed with all his might only to be pushed lower to the ground by Zabuza's one arm.

Seeing his chance, Zabuza slid his sword to the ground and in the confusion planted a kick in Naruto's face using his sword handle as a pivot to spin his body. Gripping the sword and using the momentum from his kick, Zabuza heaved his sword out of the ground along with a chunk of earth, before sending the mound hurtling at the flying Naruto.

Dazed from the roundhouse to the face, Naruto managed to shake the footprint from his vision in time to see a large slab of earth heading straight toward him. Spinning his chakra around him, Naruto managed to fire off a _Teishuurai: Kuukigiri_ that cut straight through the earth mound, pulling it along as shrapnel while it headed for the mist nin.

The blocking the disintegrated dirt clots that followed after the chakra wave, Zabuza shot the dirt off of the broad side of Kubikiri Houcho when he swung at Naruto's neck as the boy tried to sneak up on him from the back.

"Nice try brat, but you make too much noise when you stalk someone. You should be more like this!" Zabuza exclaimed as he disappeared from Naruto's sight. Looking around frantically, Naruto couldn't find his sensei until…

"Below!" Naruto heard Zabuza shout from behind. Turning around, Naruto caught an eyeful of Zabuza rising from his crouched form, Kubikiri Houcho already in full swing. The blow connected with his sword arm and Naruto swore he heard something crack, while his sword flew from his hand and landed a good few meters behind him.

Swearing loudly, Naruto looked to Zabuza who was smirking behind his bandages. These were almost the most dangerous and painful moments of Zabuza's lessons, Naruto knew without his sword he couldn't do much to stop Zabuza and even though he knew the man would tell him to get his sword; the offer wouldn't come without a price.

"Get your sword boy, we aren't finished yet," Zabuza ordered as Naruto predicted. With his eyes locked on his teacher just to see if he decided to attack, Naruto felt for his wooden sword with his _Juushuu Chakra_. Finding the sword, Naruto managed to slip past Zabuza's surprise sword strike and jumped towards his lost weapon.

"Well, since you wouldn't move, I decided to give you a little incentive," Zabuza said almost innocently while smirking at Naruto. Not sharing Zabuza's sense of humor, Naruto heaved his blade out of the ground before galling back into stance.

Zabuza, who had been resting with his back against his planted sword, stood up and said, "That's more like it. Now the real fun begins!" Before going through rapid handseals and activating _Kirigakure no Jutsu_.

Naruto heard Zabuza rip Kubikiri Houcho from the ground and with a deep breath, he started a whirlwind using his elementally manipulated _Juushuu Chakra_. The mist lifted from around him and gave Naruto about ten feet worth of clear vision before the mist blocked the rest. Gripping his sword, Naruto smirked too before the real battle begun.

After A Long Training Session

Naruto was practically limping to his team meeting. Every muscle, and he meant every muscle, was on fire aching from the abuse that Zabuza had put them through.

'_But it'll all be worth it when I can kick major ass like Zabuza-sensei,' _Naruto thought with a smile before walking onto the team bridge. He was late and glares from his teammates showed that they already knew. Wincing partially from the glares and partially from the pain he was in, Naruto managed to get off an apology before collapsing on the bridge railing.

Having been spared a loud, "YOU'RE LATE," from Sakura, Naruto decided not to pester her seeing as she had reserved the loud noise just for Kakashi. Falling deeper into relaxation, Naruto nodded off for a second trying to recover a bit of energy before Kakashi arrived.

Unbeknownst to Naruto, his late entrance wasn't completely forgiven. Sasuke was brooding a lot more than his usual self mostly because for every team meeting both of his teammates came covered in sweat. Sasuke didn't mind Sakura's hidden training agenda so much, because in his mind men would always be superior to women but Naruto's tardiness only served to infuriate him.

'_What is the dobe doing? I need to know what type of training he's doing… I need to know how he was able to produce that much chakra,'_ Sasuke mumbled in his mind as he recalled the time Naruto had blocked out his _Sharingan _with just a huge amount of raw chakra.

The thought that someone as young as him could do it was unnerving, but the thought of it was ludicrous, especially since Naruto didn't even break a sweat. As the memory burned in Sasuke's mind, making his current mood even fouler, Sasuke didn't even notice that Sakura hadn't even tried to strike up a conversation with him the whole half an hour they had been sitting there.

Sakura's mind was far from the training bridge her body was stuck sitting at, and if it hadn't been for Naruto arrival some would have thought her to been gone from the world. Even though she was fully aware of her surroundings, thanks to genjutsu training and sparring with Kunerai and Hinata, Sakura was wondering what had happened to her when she came home after the disaster stricken Wave Mission.

The fatigue from the mission and playing peacemaker for Naruto and Sasuke's feud had taken all of her energy and the most she could remember was stumbling away from the mission debriefing and running into a green wall. Straining her memory Sakura tried, with no avail, to remember anything more about the green wall with black hair. Sighing, Sakura remembered what her mother told her.

"Yes, Sakura dear you were exhausted, you hardly could move your head when that kind boy came walking down our street holding you on his back. If I hadn't been outside to call him over; he would have been outside all night trying to find where we lived," the older Haruno woman said before going back to her work. Being the head of the library was a hard job, especially when it meant keeping track of every book in Konoha's extensive library.

Sighing again, Sakura looked to Sasuke and wondered it was him that tried getting her home safely. Instantly the inner fan girl screamed, "YES," and it was true love and fate that had dictated the actions, but then the logical half of her brain kicked in destroying all creditability to that claim.

'_First off Sasuke, doesn't wear green. Second, he had left for his house at the same time as me, which was in the opposite direction and third, mom knows who Uchiha Sasuke is and would have told me if it __were__ him,'_ the logic inner Sakura said ending her rant by pushing up her imaginary glasses.

Turning her gaze away from the 'slightly' sexist Uchiha, Sakura wondered who her real knight in shining armor was before she felt a familiar chakra source enter her range of perception.

Shaking all the thoughts of love and the kindness of strangers away, Sakura let her anger rule her and as soon as the faithful 'poof' sound was heard, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "YOU'RE LATE!"

Wincing a bit, Kakashi smiled at the little tradition that they started and looked to his other wards and saw that Sasuke was brooding and Naruto was sitting quietly, happy with his nap and the wake up call that followed.

'_All is right in the world,'_ Kakashi thought merrily before whipping out his limited edition copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Seeing Sakura scold and Naruto look at him with slight disgust, Kakashi decided to stop playing with his students and get to the real reason he called this meeting.

"Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once. You guys did an excellent job on the Wave Mission and even though you were in over your head; you kept your cool and pulled it off like real shinobi. In addition, whether you know it or not, I have been monitoring each of your developments and I've decided that you are ready for the Chunin Exams."

Each of the genin were silent as Kakashi handed them their passes for the test, looking at the golden ticket, the members of Team Seven had a different thing on their minds. For Sasuke, this would be his perfect opportunity to see the extent of Naruto's power and figure out a way to make it his own. Sakura, on the other hand, was looking at the ticket riddled with self doubt. Even though she had survived an encounter with enemy Nin way above her level and was now training with one; her fears of being too weak were coming back to haunt her.

Last was Naruto. This ticket was a stepping stone for him and this would be a true test for him. If he passed, it would only show how much stronger he had become. _'Well I guess this will be fun,'_ Naruto thought to himself while wondering what type of Nin he will battle from all across the shinobi globe.

Looking at Sasuke smirking, Sakura frowning, and Naruto hyping himself up, Kakashi could pretty much guess what was going on in their minds even without the aid of his _Sharingan_ eye. Knowing that his team would enter, Kakashi ended the meeting early, but not before telling them, "Be at the academy tomorrow ready to go, because the exam starts then."

Each of the three looked up in surprise, this was a huge step in there ninja careers and Kakashi had only given them one day's notice. Before Kakashi could get a piece of any of his charges minds'; he disappeared in a plume of ninja smoke. Cursing aloud, Naruto looked down at his bruised sword arm and wondered, _'Shit, how am I going to get this healed in one day?'_

Normally the excess chakra he was always spewing from his body would wrap around any wound and increase the healing rate. Naruto figured it to be one of the countless seals his Father had integrated into the seal to house Kyuubi's chakra. He thanked the man for the perk, because now bruises and cuts that would take weeks to heal only took days at the most, but seeing, as Naruto couldn't focus the healing potency of the chakra it was time he didn't have.

Waiting for Sasuke to leave before Naruto even showed focus on his battered arm, Naruto tried to think of a way to fix his arm before the Exams when he heard Sakura say, "boys and their stupid pride."

Looking at the girl, Naruto was about to let loose a snide retort when he saw Sakura examine his arm. Striding over in righteous fury, Sakura lifted Naruto's sleeve only to see the full extent of the damage. She let out a gasp when she laid eyes on the mismatch of black and blue skin. Sighing out loud, "Come with me, we'll need our team in tip top shape for the exams tomorrow," Sakura said while letting go of all of her doubts.

Naruto was led by the bruised arm away from the team meeting bridge to another training patch. Noticing a few familiar chakra signals, Naruto's mind began to wander on what Sakura was planning when he entered the clearing.

There, in what Naruto could only describe as a beautiful dance of water and ice, Haku and Hinata sparred using full force. Transfixed for a second, Naruto watched his little sister and next door neighbor go back and forth with a grace only a female body could obtain.

Watching several ice needles rain from the sky, Naruto was shocked when Hinata stopped the first wave with just her _Jyuutesaki_. The girl weaved through the hail of ice blocking dozens of needles on each step of her elegant dance. Seeing as there was about to be an overwhelming number of needles; Hinata stopped and began using her clan technique, the _Kaiten_ (Heavenly Spin).

Naruto had never seen it before in his life, but from the books the Hokage had given him, it was supposed to be Konoha's ultimate defense. True to its definition, the technique flung the ice needles in all directions, and a mini hurricane left a small divot under Hinata from the excess chakra and fast rotation.

The lingering ice in the air quickly regrouped and formed into strategically placed mirrors. Seeing the _Hyoton: Makyou Hyoshou_ (Ice Release: Demonic Ice Mirrors) form around his sister Naruto was about to jump into and stop the fight when Sakura grabbed his arm. Looking at the girl incredulously before he heard her say, "Just watch; they may look like they are going all out but they're not. Hinata could have easily kill Haku in the times she had her pinned in close range while Haku could have done the same with her senbon training."

Believing Sakura's deduction, Naruto watched as Hinata was attacked from all sides with countless senbon. Even with her _Byakugan_ and the near 360 degree vision it provided, Hinata was still taking damage faster than her _Jyuutesaki _or _Kaiten_ could keep up with and seeing that the end was near, Hinata pulled out her secret weapon.

Naruto watched with transfixed fascination as Hinata pulled out what looked like a replica of his pentacle from her sleeve and channeled a surprising amount of chakra through it. A wisp of highly refined chakra shot up from the end pentacle, and only with her Hyuuga control, was Hinata able to support the high chakra demands.

Feeling the fatigue of the heavy chakra use straining her breathing, Hinata utilized the make-shift blade of chakra by stretching it from her pentacle into one of the ice mirrors. Haku was shocked that Hinata could make the blade grow so long and was even more shocked that it had a _Jyuuken_-like effect on her mirror, disrupting the chakra and destroying the jutsu.

Falling into the _Hakke _stance Hinata whispered, "_Hakke: Jinsoku Chouin__Sho _(Eight Trigrams: Swift Sealing Palm)," and Haku saw the bright green trigram, which she had come to know and loath, spread from under the petite Hyuuga Heiress before invisible binds of killing intent mixed with refined chakra held her in place.

From there, Hinata's movements became blurs as she twisted and turned to angle the shots of her chakra blade into each ice mirror. Watching the ice shatter like glass, Naruto was surprised when he saw both Haku and Hinata panting, surrounded by a ring of ice shards.

Hinata was winded much worse than the other girl was and it had taken nearly all of her reserves to do the last technique, not even leaving her enough chakra to support her blade.

Haku didn't waste this opportunity and quickly formed an ice needle before positioning it on Hinata's neck. Lifting the Hyuuga's head, Haku told the girl with gentle eyes, "You did well, not many have lasted that long against me and if it weren't for your smaller reserves you would have won."

"Thank you Haku-chan, but I won't kid myself; you were going easy on me, I know that much because from what I heard, Kunerai-sensei said she met Zabuza and he said that you were even stronger than him." Hinata could only watch Haku blush with the compliment before turning her attention elsewhere to avoid further embarrassment.

That's when he eyes landed on Naruto. A smile seemed to spring on her face whenever she saw the younger boy, _'probably because he is one of the reasons we aren't living on the run from the Mizukage still,'_ the young girl thought before leading Hinata to the newcomers.

Sakura smirked at the two before saying, "I knew you two would be at it again, but I'm surprised that you didn't wait for me. I mean, I thought we all agreed that we would always have a three way spar before practice?"

Popping one of the soldier pills she had gotten from Kiba in her mouth, Hinata swallowed the little red pill before feeling a wave of refreshment wash over her. Sighing in content she said to Sakura, "But you always complain about how your sensei is late and unpredictable, so we figured that the meeting might have turned into a training session when you were late."

Accepting the answer, Sakura turned to Naruto and said, "See we've been working hard too Naruto, and I think you'll find out what we've been learning pretty interesting." Corking an eyebrow at her, Naruto let the curiosity on his face be his answer and waited for one of the girls to tell him what they've been up to.

Sakura was the one to break the silence by saying, "Haku-sempai look at this," before lifting Naruto's sleeve. Instinctively Naruto reached to bar her actions but it seemed that whatever Sakura had been doing with his sister and neighbor made her hand movements a hell of a lot quicker.

Both Hinata and Haku winced at the sight, and Naruto felt bad for showing his adoptive sister and neighbor the bruises he got from training. It was as if he was burdening them with unnecessary knowledge and the fact that he hated to be a burden made the guilt weigh heavier on him.

Summoning some of her left over chakra from her spar, Haku formed a light green chakra around her hand before applying it to Naruto's shoulder. The big black bruise that he received when Naruto had been disarmed; disappeared right before his eyes along with the stiffness in his arm and pain that came whenever he forced it to move.

Falling back Haku said, "All done," before asking Hinata to check over the wound with her _Byakugan_. Sweeping over her brother's arm, Naruto couldn't help but feel naked in front of the all seeing eyes of the _Byakugan_ and sensing his discomfort, Hinata hurried up with the procedure.

Shutting off her famous Kekkei Genkai, Hinata told Naruto, "There's no need to be embarrassed Naruto. I've been trained to only see through what I want to see and believe me; I've passed the stage of looking through your underwear."

All the girls around him laughed, with the exception of Haku, who was now a bright red. Seeing this, Hinata nudged Haku before whispering to her, "Don't worry I haven't seen too much of your man," causing the girl to blush even more before sputtering nonsense about not knowing what she was talking about.

Naruto, on the other hand, stood dazed at what was happening before deciding to change the subject to something he was more comfortable with, something that didn't revolve around looking through his pants. Noticing the pentacle dangling from Hinata's wrist again, Naruto grabbed his own and started comparing the two.

The design was similar and the metal work had to be done by the same person or at least by the company, the only noticeable difference was that Naruto's pentacle had five arms, where as Hinata's had four. Noticing her adoptive brother's gaze lingering on her bracelet she compared hers to his and made the same discoveries as he did.

Naruto looked puzzled for a second before Hinata said, "It was my mother's, a family heirloom that has been passed down from mother to daughter. Father gave it to me on my birthday while you where away at the tropics, he told me I was finally ready to have it and that I reminded him of mom more than I knew." Nodding, Naruto felt a little bad that he had missed her birthday, but his mind was instantly preoccupied with the thoughts that he may be a Hyuuga.

'_I got mine from my father. It's obvious that who ever made these was close to one another; whether it is by blood or by love. Unless my dad was a former lover of Hinata's mom, we may be related!'_ Naruto's mind raced, trying to find any other alternatives or possibilities.

'_Unless dad was a crook and stole this from the Hyuuga then I'm out of luck, this might be the case since I don't have the Byakugan…'_ Naruto thought while looking to the girl who he may be closer to than he thought. Hinata seemed to catch the importance of the matching accessories as well. She knew that Naruto had received the five legged cross as a gift from his father, who that was she was never told.

Pushing is this aside for now, Naruto broke the tension by asking all three girls, "So this is what you've been working so hard on? Are you all planning to be field medics?" The questions seemed harmless and a good distraction for Naruto as he tried to formulate ways to find out all the answers to this puzzle.

Sakura nodded saying, "Yeah. We may not major in that area, but with each of our high control and reckless friends, being able to do a little first aid will come in handy. Plus you learn some interesting things about the body while studying to be a medical Nin."

Naruto began to sweat as his mind totally switched from his link to the Hyuuga Clan and solely focused on Sakura's, along with Hinata and Haku's, advancing forms. All three hit him in the neck paralyzing him from the waist down. Looking up, Naruto saw all three girls say, "Let this be a warning not to tell anyone that we train here."

"Ino-pig already knows and is training with the bum and Chouji to beat me in the Chunin Exams so if I hear one word that you leaked any information to her," Sakura added while letting a twisted smile play on her face as she laid a very 'personal' genjutsu on Naruto's prone form.

The genjutsu ended and Naruto was covering the twins and their pet horse hoping that whatever he had just seen won't come true. Looking for Hinata, Naruto saw that she was leaving and catching the far off look on her face, he knew that she would be thinking of the connection between them as much as he was.

Turning to the last girl, Naruto noticed that Haku was waiting for Sakura to leave the clearing before saying, "Sorry about that, we swore that we'd do it to anyone who found out." Releasing him from his binding prison, Naruto's muscles immediately relaxed and he looked at Haku's calloused, but delicate, hand reach out to lift him up. Taking the older girl's hand, Naruto let his grip linger longer than necessary, making a note of how small her hands were.

'_Not that it matters, they'll still send dozens of frozen needles to rain on you,'_ Naruto noted before he realized that he was holding her hand entirely too long, not that she minded. Immediately snatching his hand away, both couldn't look at each other without blushing for a good minute.

It was then that Naruto realized that it wasn't just her hand that was small, but Haku in general, looked small. Not like a baby, but small as in something that he should cherish and protect something…, _'what am I thinking!? She's a Jounin level shinobi! If she was serious, she could kill me without trying! But why is it that I want to protect her so much?' _Naruto asked himself while watching the girl from behind.

He hadn't even realized that they had started walking home, and it wasn't until he was at the door of her apartment did he realize how lost in thought he was. Turning to Haku, Naruto didn't know what to do or say as he had completely lost any of the sense or wit that he prided himself in always having. Opening his mouth to say something, Naruto knew he would probably stick his foot in his mouth, but anything was better than awkward silence.

Haku was the one to break the silence though, "Well sorry for the genjutsu and us all teaming up and paralyzing you, we wouldn't ever hurt you on purpose." Haku's voice became drastically low at the end, Naruto caught the drop in volume and decided to be a man and say something.

"Don't worry about me. Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan have done far worse to me before and I'm still breathing. I was just glad you were there to take it off when they left," Naruto said laughing in spite of himself. His voice had dropped off at the end to and his inner man was berating him, _'What's wrong with you? This isn't your first time talking to a girl. Stop acting like she has cooties or something and be a man!!!'_

Seeing Naruto reverting into his 'mind shell', as she liked to call it; Haku decided, _'This is my only chance,'_ before getting the boy in a pressing hug. Instantly, Naruto forgot all about the loud midget yelling at him to be a man and make a move and instead focused on the warm feeling that was spreading through him like a fire through the forest.

The sensation was mind numbing for both parties and like the first time, Naruto couldn't think straight while Haku's body was pressed up against his. It wasn't like hugging Hinata or the few times he got a hug from Sakura, even though he was especially happy at the time, Haku's hug was different. Naruto could feel every curve on the older girl's body and it caused him to forget about all his troubles and just want to stay in the 'now' forever.

However all good things must come to an end and before Naruto knew it, the hug was over and Haku had dashed in the door, not before leaving him a peck on the cheek and the words, "Don't go to practice tomorrow I need to have a word with Zabuza and…We should do this again sometime," those words alone lifted Naruto into the air and carried him through the night. Well that and the quick kiss she gave him as well.

**A/N: **Well it has been a while and much has happened, so I'm going to split this long author's note up. First off, I want to talk about this fic DOAD. First I want to thank all those who read this fic and without you I have nothing to write for, so thank you for giving me 50k ( in all reality its like 30 from 60k, but since its not there yet, I'll leave it alone) plus hits. Second, I want to talk about the plot; its starting to get a bit more focused and as you can see from the pentacle connection, a bit more complicated. Going on, I want to talk about the relationships. I hope that I'm not moving too fast and that they are taking it at the right pace. 'Naruto's still in the dark about his feelings, so they won't be hooking up next chapter that much I promise'. Last as for the mistake, many pointed out last chapter I must apologize, because I happened to give away on of the secrets in Stigma not DOAD. However the blunder has been incorporated into the story, and will be used to the fullest (it actually helped more than hurt).

Last, I want to talk about Seeing Past, sadly it's been put on hiatus and I am really thinking of just discontinuing the fic. Believe me it's not anyone's fault, but my own and even though I want to finish it, I have to edit and there is so much rewriting that if I don't get an editor soon I may just have to drop it. (P.S. Dragon and Sword Master the only reason I didn't ask you is because I couldn't give this to you on top of Stigma and DOAD with a clear conscience. So please don't be offended). So if you like the fic and are willing to edit, I'm all open to betas. Contact me and we'll discuss this later. Anyway thanks for listening to my rant and here's the wrap up.

Jutsu Logue: Some new stuff this chapter.

_Kaiten_/Heavenly Spin

This jutsu utilizes the chakra control gained through Gentle Fist training to release a huge amount of chakra from the user's chakra points when struck. The released chakra blocks any possible attack. The user then spins themselves rapidly to parry the attack, both creating a shield of chakra around themselves and tossing away any would-be attackers. (wiki)

_Hyoton: Makyou Hyoshou/_ Ice Release: Demonic Ice Mirrors

Using her kekkei genkai, Haku can create a dome of twenty-one mirrors made out of ice to trap an opponent. Twelve remain at ground level, eight are placed above the first twelve and angled toward the ground, and the final mirror is above the rest and facing the ground. Haku can then enter one of the mirrors and travel between them at an incredible speed; in fact, the time in transit is almost instantaneous. During transit, Haku can throw needles while remaining virtually unassailable. If the mirror Haku is currently in is shattered, she can leap out of one of the fragments and continue her attack. Though they are made from ice, they are pressured with enough chakra to resist fire almost completely. While inside the mirrors, Haku is moving so fast that the outside world appears to move in slow motion. The technique requires a large amount of chakra to maintain, so Haku's movement becomes progressively slower the longer she maintains the mirrors. (most from wikipedia)

_Hakke: Jinsoku Chouin Sho/_ Eight Trigrams: Swift Sealing Palm

Using her pentacle as a median for a chakra based assault; Hinata uses her natural Hyuuga control to increase the length of her chakra assault to incredible lengths. Used in conjunction with the trapping trigram board of the _Hakke_, Hinata and delivery numerous long ranged tenketsu closing shots from a distance. Although the cost is high on her reserves, but to compensate Hinata is able to filter back in the chakra that is constantly being expelled by the blade to refuel the jutsu. Note this attack is based off of Ichimaru Gin's Shikai release _shinso_ (shoot him dead), and works in the same principle of extending a weapon to supernatural lengths.

P.S. New chapter of Fate's Rewrite is out, so if you need something to hold you over go check it out, and remember help me reach my goal. Til next time…

Black Saint


	11. The Curses We Bear

"": Spoken

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts _

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know, I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

However, all good things must come to an end and before Naruto knew it, the hug was over and Haku had dashed inside, not before leaving him a peck on the cheek and the words, "Don't go to practice tomorrow; I need to have a word with Zabuza and…,"

"We should do this again sometime," those words alone lifted Naruto into the air and carried him through the night.

Chapter 11: The Curses We Bear

Waking up from what seemed to be a great dream, Naruto got ready for the big day. '_Exam Day, time to show Konoha that I'm ready to be a Chunin,'_ Naruto thought grinning at all the opponents he may face. Ninja would come from all over the shinobi continent, but for Naruto his greatest opponents were right in the village.

Thinking of the Rookie Nine, Naruto knew that anyone of them would a be a challenge, _'And I'll make sure they know by the end of the exam I am the best,'_ Naruto thought with a smirk. This was before leaving his apartment, with a piece of toast firmly clasped in his jaws and his bag fully supplied with a weeks worth of gear and rations for whatever may come.

Passing the Momochi residence, Naruto was shocked to see Zabuza leaving so late, but shocked even more when the man gave him a glare with a bit more evil in it than usual. Afraid that asking the man may provoke him into giving him an 'extra practice' before the exam; Naruto stayed silent and let Zabuza walk down the stairs first with the intent of staying out of his way.

_What has him so pissed? _Naruto asked himself, before remembering what Haku had told him the night before. Pushing past the warm feeling that came when he remember the hug… and the kiss, Naruto realized that she had told him not to go to practice for a reason. Holding back his laughter, Naruto managed to keep all his thoughts in his mind, less he provoke Zabuza to disregard his daughter's 'warning.'

'_To think the master swordsman of silent assassinations would be so whipped by his daughter!' _Letting the musing play out in his mind, Naruto wondered what hells Haku had wreaked on her father to get him to settle for glaring at Naruto.

Walking to the academy, Naruto took his time when he realized he still had about thirty minutes to burn before the exam started. Unfortunately, for the blonde, trouble seemed to follow him and those he held dear.

"Let go of me you face-painted gorilla!" a familiar voice cried out. Recognizing the voice of his 'jiji's' grandson, Naruto raced to the scene ready to help his adoptive brother of sorts. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Naruto landed in a deserted alleyway to see Konohamaru held up by his scarf.

"Hey you heard the kid, drop him before I have to wipe that face paint off with my fist, you gorilla!" His taunt had the desired effect and Konohamaru's assailant dropped him. Looking at the face painted boy's red face and throbbing veins, Naruto knew his comment had gotten under his skin.

'_Good, now that I'm in his head this is going to be twice as easy,'_ Naruto concluded while looking over the shinobi for hints to his fighting style.

_Aside for the face paint, I see that he is from the Sand, and he is probably a puppet-user judging by the wrappings on his back. His cloak hints to hidden weapons, maybe even a seal for another puppet. Okay from what I got, he's a mid-range fighter and probably likes to keep it that way,_ Naruto deduced before smirking. His training with Zabuza made him confident that he had made leaps and bounds in close range combat, something his opponent probably wouldn't be able to handle.

Taking a stance that was similar to Zabuza's, Naruto noticed that the offender did the same while ignoring his partner's cries for him to stop. "Kankuro, it's not worth pissing Gaara off just to beat this kid up," the blonde girl pleaded with the boy. However, her words went in one ear and out the other. Sighing, Temari knew that she had lost this battle and just hoped that the battle would be short so Gaara wouldn't notice their tardiness.

"Well kid, I'm busy, so I'm going to kick your ass instead of the brat's and be on my way to the exam," Kankuro proclaimed before pulling the hand he had in his pocket out. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto knew that they were probably connected with the puppet on his back, so he decided to make this quick.

Dashing forward, Naruto's hands formed his favorite jutsu before kicking it into high gear and moving at full speed. Kankuro was a little shocked at Naruto's drastic increase in speed, but it was something that he could handle .

_The kid moves as fast as some of the villages' Chunin. Too bad for him I can kick their asses',_ Kankuro thought before smirking as well. Seeing through the kid's apparent speed jutsu, Kankuro began to pull on his puppet, knowing that it would spell doom for the cocky brat rushing him, when he felt the strings connecting his fingers to his puppet.

Twisting his head, Kankuro saw a clone of the brat standing right behind him, smirking before pointing forward. Turning around, Kankuro saw Naruto had his bokken to his neck, poised to finish the battle. Grudgingly, Kankuro raised his hands in defeat knowing that the boy would probably crush his trachea before he could summon his other puppet.

Seeing the boy sweat, Naruto was about to gloat when he felt another chakra signature that was somewhat similar to his. Turning his attention while applying more pressure to Kankuro's neck, making sure that the older boy didn't get any ideas while his head was turned, and called out to the rooftop adjacent to the alley, "I know that you're there so why don't you just come out!" and complying with his request, a whirlwind of sand appeared in front of him. Flaring his _Junshuu_ _Chakra_ subtly, Naruto whipped a light gale around him so that none of the sand would land on him, or more importantly in his eyes, while preparing himself for a fight.

"Kankuro, you're pathetic. You as well Temari; you should have stopped him from embarrassing himself," the voice called out after righting himself from his twisting motion. Letting the sand freefall from his form, the boy looked passed the two stock-still forms of his teams and looked right at Naruto.

His eyes seemed to look right through him, and stare straight at his soul. _'What kind of life causes this?' _Naruto asked while subconsciously raising his _Junshuu Chakra_, as if it would push off his gaze.

Seeing the rise of charka, Gaara smiled internally, _This one will be fun to crush, and his blood will feed mother,_ echoed in his mind before he emotionlessly asked, "What is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto,"

"Sabaku Gaara, I will be waiting in the exams," Gaara said seamlessly before leaving, beckoning his teammates to follow. Letting the boy pass, Naruto stood ramrod still letting their chakra's clash. Once Gaara was gone, Naruto let out the breath he didn't know he was holding before smirking at the tingling sensation that he was feeling and turned, following the sand trio.

'_At least this'll be interesting,'_ Naruto thought as he came up to the academy. Opening the door, Naruto was greeted to a wonderful sight that he would have paid good money to see otherwise. Uchiha Sasuke was being launched into the air and judging by the way his _Junshuu Charka _was responding to his chakra, the boy's _Sharingan_ was active.

Watching the scene unfold, Naruto prepared to stop the fight with a well-placed _Kuukigiri_, when a small flash darted across the room. Seeing the pinwheel shuriken pinning Sasuke's assailants arm wrappings against the wall, Naruto watched as a turtle chewed, the horridly dressed boy, a new one.

The Nin declared to be Rock Lee, was bowing to the turtle and stiffened when the name 'Gai-sensei' was mentioned. Looking to Sakura in confusion, Naruto noticed that the girl was a bit shaken up, but when he asked her what was wrong, all she could say was, "that damn leotard," and shudder before speaking incoherently.

Looking away from the quivering mass, Naruto went to collect his fallen teammate, who despite having an ex-fan girl in his Genin cell, wasn't saved a painful fall onto the hard wooden flooring. Helping the boy up, Naruto just said, "You really got your ass kicked, didn't you? Man isn't that twice now your _Sharingan _has failed you? You should really get a new trick or even Kiba will be kicking your ass soon."

Obviously hitting a few sore spots, Naruto disregarded the wave of killing intent that Sasuke was shooting at him, and Naruto was about to continue on how he shouldn't try to be intimidating. Especially, since people such as Zabuza and that new kid Gaara did it so much better when he registered the fact that another chakra source was entering the room.

Looking passed the plume of ninjutsu smoke, Naruto saw a man even more flamboyantly dressed than what he used to wear, and in a sudden display of sensei brutality he decked his self proclaimed 'genius of hard work' student.

Not at all put off by the actions, Naruto felt the boy had gotten off easy, seeing as Zabuza would have probably followed the punch up with several bone breaking sword slashes. Watching Lee pick himself up before creating a sunset genjutsu without any chakra, Naruto felt his teammates' auras' go from shock to confusion and back to shock again when the man appeared behind them.

_Holy shit, this guy's faster than both Kakashi and Zabuza!_ This thought rattled through his mind, but it was true. Even though both Kakashi and Zabuza were faster than his eyes would track for a greater part of the time, this guy trump them both in sheer speed. The most disturbing part though was the fact that, unlike both of his sensei, this guy used absolutely no chakra to heighten his speed.

_It's all natural!? What is this guy?_ Naruto wondered before he heard the guy, coincidentally named Gai; tell them, "Well you three must be Kakashi's students judging by your expression. Tell Kakashi that his greatest rival is waiting for their next rematch."

Turning around, all three Genin saw the man flash a blinding smile before adding, "The score is 51-50 in my favor, so tell him to bring his A-game or he won't be a match for me." Watching the man leave in a blur Naruto thought, _I wouldn't have seen him leave if it weren't for his clothes,_ before turning to Lee who was currently rewrapping his hand bandages. Catching the faint scars on the boy's hands, Naruto noticed Sakura going into med-Nin mode, rushing to the boy and taking his uncovered hand.

Even though she had rejected the horridly dressed boy earlier, Sakura had sworn to herself upon taking up the specialty as a med-nin that she would help all those who needed it. This meant helping the guy who obviously had a crush on you and the worse sense of fashion, second only to his sensei.

"Lee-san let me see your hand, the extensive scarring you have put them through may have damaged a tendon and limit your ability to do handseals necessary for our profession," Sakura stated professional. Meeting her all-business glaze, Lee smiled slightly before taking his hand back.

"I am sorry Sakura-san but there has been a slight misunderstanding. I cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu, so your help is appreciated, but it is not needed. Thank you and I apologize for wasting your time, but I must be off."

Not taking no for an answer, Sakura started to create the handseals necessary for healing that she picked up from training with Haku and Hinata in the mornings. Reaching quickly towards the boy, Sakura snatched both hands this time, before forcing her chakra into the boy's scar tissue, healing the poorly reformed tendons and correctly placed them for the taijutsu master before stepping back and looking at her handy work.

"All done, and Lee, even though you don't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, it is dangerous to fight with wounded hands. You should be thankful that you are a fellow Konoha Nin, otherwise I might have just let you destroy your fists and ignore the oath I took (1)." Shocked, Lee smiled at the revelation before bowing to the girl and turning to leave. Stopping and looking back, Lee addressed Sasuke.

"Seeing as your teammate helped me, I will help you. I lied when I said that I was the strongest. There is one other person that is even greater than I am and he is on my team. Watch out for Hyuuga Neji, because even though I may be a genius of hard work, he is a natural born genius."

Meeting the boy's gaze, Sasuke watched angrily as his assailant left, completely healed by his teammate. Scoffing, Sasuke walked off upstairs, leaving Naruto to congratulate Sakura on her growing skills and debate on whether or not he knew this particular Hyuuga.

'_Another one stronger he says, well I'll show them both that the Uchiha are the greatest even though there are only two left!'_ Sasuke thought smugly while walking into a crowded room. He may have lost his first fight, but he knew a weak genjutsu when he saw one.

About to call out the two examiners, Sasuke felt a handgrip on his shoulder and turned to see Naruto just shake his head. Looking at him incredulously, Sasuke noticed Sakura was sharing the same expression before hearing Naruto tell him, "Why help the competition? Let's just keep moving and ignore the second crappy genjutsu the Demon Mist Brothers have made for us."

Nodding grudgingly, Sasuke just walked by the two-disguised ex-Mist Nin, feeling as though he had missed an excellent opportunity to show off some of the Uchiha's power. Deciding to make it up in the exam, Sasuke opened the double doors and entered the room for the first exam.

Both Naruto and Sakura could feel Sasuke's flickering emotions, one through the extension genjutsu training the village's leading genjutsu specialist had put her through, and the other through means of constantly overflowing, hyper-sensitive chakra. Doing their best to ignore the changes, both of the teammates nodded to one another knowing that, _this exam needs our full attention. Anything else and we will fail._

"Yo, so it seems Team Seven made it too!" A loud obnoxious voice cried out, cutting the tension Sasuke had unwontedly created. Seeing the telltale jacket and white puppy, Kiba made his way to Team Seven flanked by his teammates, Hinata and Shino, of Team Eight.

"Well of course we made it, because if Shino and Hinata could do it with a handicap like having a dog and his trained boy make it, then we can surely make it with our broody bastard as a handicap," Naruto said managing to insult both Kiba and Sasuke in one breath. Feeling two respective glares turn to him, Naruto was glad someone said something or a fight might have broken out immediately.

"Well it seems these troublesome people made it too," Shikamaru, said making it sound as if he didn't want to be here. Noting the pineapple head's frown, Chouji's smiling form, and a haughty looking Ino, Naruto smiled before saying, "Well if it isn't the Idiot Trio, how long has it been guys?"

Taking the insult in stride, Chouji just smiled before taking a quick swipe at the blonde, whom Naruto just dodged, Ino just tossed her hair as if he wasn't worth the time, which he was, and Shikamaru just sighed not wanting to put forth the effort, which it wasn't worth.

Watching the group mingle, Naruto was ignoring Sakura and Ino's battle of the wills, and pre-game trash talk, while focusing all his attention on Hinata. The girl, who was like a sister to him, may have had some answers he needed.

"Hinata-chan, who is Hyuuga Neji?" Naruto asked innocently, and looked confused when Hinata paused for a second as if trying to find the right words to say. Waiting patiently, Naruto figured that this was somehow tied to what Hinata called her 'extremely dysfunctional family'. However, the girl never had to answer seeing as a fellow leaf-nin opted to answer for her.

"Hyuuga Neji. Genin, prodigy of the _Byakugan_, and member of the Branch House, he has been a Genin for two years and so far has never failed a mission. It also says on a side bar that it was his father who died to save the Leaf from entering another Cloud Leaf War."

Turning to the voice, the Rookie Nine saw the silver-haired boy approach them with a smile. His disposition was calm, which was in stark contrast to the tense surroundings that they were in, and Kiba immediately questioned this.

"Hey, why are you so calm? Almost everyone around here is giving off a nervous or scared scent, but you on the other hand are giving off neither," Kiba announced, sounding rather intelligent while at the same time sounding unbearably cocky. Taking the words in stride, the man simply smiled before putting away the card that he was reading Neji's status from.

"I'm calm, because this is my seventh time testing. I know what's going to happen and unlike you _loud_ Genin; I understand the need to be subtle." Looking directly at Kiba when he said 'loud' the newcomer gained some trust with his intelligent remark and decided to acquaint himself with the Rookie Nine Genin.

Introducing himself as, "Yakushi Kabuto, and seeing as this is my seventh exam; I figure that I can let you in on a few of my secrets." Huddling around the senior Genin, all the Rookie Nine were listening intently to the free advice he was handing out.

When the older Genin pulled out his nin-fo cards, Sasuke was the first to jump at the chance to get the scoop on the competition. Asking for the information on Rock Lee, Sasuke ignored the snicker Naruto let out, making sure to get his information as well.

"Teammate of Hyuuga Neji and Tenten, can't read the last name, they have completed at least twice as many as of the required missions for the Chunin exam. Ah, that's why, Maito Gai is their sensei. Well it seems his taijutsu is through the roof, no doubt the work of his sensei, but he is incapable of using ninjutsu or genjutsu."

While the rest of the Rookie Nine were shocked by such a handicap, Team Seven already knew this from his match with Sasuke that he didn't need either. _'Well it seems what he said was true. I need to be faster if I want to defeat him and show this Rock Lee that the Sharingan is the greatest doujutsu in the world,'_ Sasuke added before asking for another nin-fo card.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the black haired Nin asked, ignoring all the stares that he was getting from the rest of his classmates. Naruto just looked at Sasuke out the corner of his eye before smirking.

'_If he wants to know my abilities maybe he should pay more attention in our fights rather than asking some stranger,'_ Naruto thought and concurring with his deduction Kabuto's nin-fo card only mentioned his _Junshuu Chakra_, _Chakra Shokkou_, and _Kage Bunshin_ making no reference to his elemental manipulation abilities and sword skills.

_Sasuke's going to be in for a surprise when we fight,_ Naruto thought before moving to his seat after hearing the examiner order them to, "Shut up and listen!!"

_This first exam is surprisingly easy,_ Naruto noted while watching the rest of the other Konoha Genin finish after Team Seven. Team Eight was the first to finish after them, seeing as Kiba had used Akamaru to deliver answers in quiet barks only the Inuzuka could decipher; Shino had used his kikai insects as scoots, and Hinata had used the _Byakugan_ to literally see through all the lies and find the answers.

Following Team Eight was Team Ten. Ino had mind swapped with an examiner after struggling with Sakura to overtake her mind. The deflection of her clan's jutsu came off as a shock, but Ino just smirked and was probably more anxious for their match more than ever now. Mind swapping with Chouji to give him the answers, Ino was about to jump to Shikamaru when she noticed he had stolen the answers from Sasuke using a few new shadow surveillance techniques that he picked up from his dad.

Settling down after Ibiki's climatic finish, Naruto felt his heart rate shoot back up when he felt a flicker of chakra approach the window before a seductively clad woman appeared in front of Ibiki with a bloodthirsty grin on her face.

"It seems you're losing your touch Ibiki, I was sure that less than fifty Genin would be left," the woman said while eying the Genin. Naruto couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by her aura, especially the bloodlust and borderline insanity that surrounded it.

"No it's just a good batch this year Anko," Ibiki replied while glancing at all of the Rookie Nine. Seeing the look, Naruto couldn't help but agree, well at least until the crazed woman turned her attention to them.

"I see… Well then I'm glad I made the test tough this year, because I'm looking to cut this number at least in half," Anko said before licking her lips in anticipation.

'_Why do I have the feeling she's serious,'_ Naruto noted morbidly while waiting for the second exam.

About An Hour Into The Second Exam…

'_Sometimes I wonder if I'm cursed.'_ Naruto asked no one in particular while flying through the air. Ever since the first exam, he had his cheek cut open by the bloodthirsty examiner, Mitarashi Anko, attacked while taking a leak, no thanks to a perverted Rain-nin, and he couldn't forget being blown away by the creepy Grass-nin who returned the very kunai that torn his cheek open after licking it clean.

Twisting his wind oriented chakra around him; Naruto righted his fall before touching down softly. Figuring that he was about a good five minute run away from his team and their opponent, Naruto knew Sasuke and Sakura could hold up long enough for him to get back and help.

Filling his muscles with chakra, Naruto prepared to take off at full speed when he felt a sudden explosion of chakra surge from behind him. Turning around slowly, Naruto saw the biggest snake he had ever seen in his life.

"Yeah, I'm cursed…," Naruto said aloud as the giant maw closed around him.

With The Rest Of Team Seven…

_Okay. Not only can she stand Sasuke-kun's fire jutsu, but the Grass nin seems to be impervious to all but my best genjutsu, _Sakura noted to herself while assessing the situation. Currently, Sasuke was fighting hand to hand with the nin in front of her while, she healed a minor cut on her arm that she had gotten after the woman countered a failed genjutsu attempt.

Watching Sasuke get pushed back just as she finished, Sakura started another, more powerful genjutsu when the woman's voice broke her concentration. Normally, not even Hinata's impending _Jyuuken_ strikes could distract her, but this woman's voice was more chilling than having all of her tenketsu closed. This killing intent laced with the Grass-nin's voice overrode all of her imbedded shinobi training and before Sakura knew it; both she and Sasuke were caught in a craftily laid genjutsu.

"Ah Sasuke-kun, it seems you have made some powerful allies. Well let's just see how powerful they are," the woman said in a haunting tone while throwing two kunai at their heads.

Theories of breaking genjutsu rushed through Sakura's head, but it wasn't until the kunai were merely feet away from hitting their mark did Sakura strike gold. Mixing her own chakra with her own killing intent, Sakura managed to remove the fear-induced genjutsu that was binding her. Deflecting both kunai, Sakura countered with her original plan and disappeared before both the Grass-nin and Sasuke's eyes.

Suddenly, the moss and vines covering the branch they were standing on erupted upward, wrapping around the Grass kunoichi. From the top Sakura bloomed, poised for the deathblow when the Grass-nin twisted her body in an unnatural direction before making a swipe at Sakura with her kunai. Blocking the attack, Sakura could feel her _Magen: Jubaku Satsu_ failing under her small reserves, but before she could safely escape, the Grass-nin opened her mouth and showed her that her tongue was holding a kunai.

Currently blocking the first strike with two hands, Sakura was sure she was fast enough to dodge the kunai strike, especially one delivered by the body's most flexible muscle. However, with the Grass kunoichi's shift in attention to Sakura, Sasuke was able to overcome the choking grip of the first genjutsu with his chakra alone before sending a kunai to aid in Sakura's escape.

Deflecting the mouth launched kunai, Sasuke's kunai gave Sakura the time she needed to escape and place a weak genjutsu around the area to cover their tactical retreat. Breaking through the mist genjutsu inspired by Haku, the kunoichi smiled when she noticed her prey was gone.

"So the hunt continues…," the woman spieled, before disappearing from the area faster than she appeared.

With Sakura And Sasuke…

With his back firmly pressed against the bark of the tree he was hiding in, Sasuke turned to Sakura who was currently healing his wounds. _How is it that she's so strong? How was she able to fight that… that monster?_ Sasuke thought angrily before jerking away from Sakura. Expecting her to back away hurt; he was shocked when she started into him.

"Sasuke, we don't have time for your ego! And if you haven't noticed, the Grass-nin we just ran from just kicked both of our asses, and I have a bad feeling that she was only playing with us. So stop sulking and let me heal you or we are both going to die."

Rearing back as if being hit in the balls, Sasuke fell deeper into his brooding state but allowed Sakura to finish healing him. Handing the boy a soldier pill, Sakura answered both of his inquiries before he even asked.

"I got them from Hinata, and before you ask, she got them from Kiba, who happens to have about ten lifetimes worth of pills in stock just for situations like these." Popping the pill first, Sakura felt a charge of chakra make its way through her and before she knew it, she felt like she could fight three days and three nights without sleep. Watching Sasuke do the same, albeit grudgingly, Sakura nodded in approval before trying to plan out a way to contact Naruto without alerting the Grass kunoichi.

Back With Naruto…

Fortunately, for the blonde shinobi, he hadn't been swallowed but at the way the snake was snapping at him that accomplishment may become a thing of the past. Meeting its giant jaws with a _Kuukigiri_, the chakra wave didn't even leave his sword, seeing as the hard that covered the snake pushed it back. Even its eyes were covered with a thin translucent film that prevented even kunai from penetrating them.

_Well I'll just have to try again,_ Naruto thought before pulling out one of his trusty kunai. Spinning it around his finger, Naruto built up some wind chakra while jumping over the snake's attempt to eat him. From mid-air, Naruto launched the kunai at one of the snake's protected eyes and with the built up wind chakra, the kunai was able to penetrate the protective covering.

A fierce howl was let out when the kunai cut through, leaving the giant anaconda half blind. Adding even more chakra to another kunai, Naruto quickly moved into the snake's new blind spot before throwing the kunai.

Normally, the shot would never connect from the angle that Naruto was at, but with a bit 'abnormal' elemental manipulation, Naruto curved the trajectory of the kunai and guided it from underneath the snake to a perfect path into the still functional eye.

Hearing another terrible howl, Naruto knew his shot had connected, but he wasn't sure that was a good thing. The snake was now fully blind, and also fully pissed and out for blood. Jumping over its wild thrashing, Naruto found it even harder to avoid the snake's attacks now that it was berserk.

Jumping from another destroyed branch Naruto circled the blind snake, not knowing what to do. _'Okay, its blind but I still don't have a way to penetrate its even harder scales,' _Naruto grimaced when he realized that he had used all his power just to pierce the weaker scales that protected the snake's eyes. However, the scales covering the snake were at least twice as durable and even his fully powered _Kuukigiri _couldn't crack them.

Launching another _Kuukigiri_ only to see most of it absorbed into the scales of the behemoth, the lingering amounts bounced off the scales harmlessly. Cursing, Naruto jumped from his current position as the monster's tail crashed into the log he was standing on. Realizing the snake was adapting to its loss of sight Naruto figured, _I need to kill it now before it fully figures out how to fight without seeing me. _

However, the chakra-absorbing snake was sneakier than it looked and it proved it when it used its mid-section to toss an unsuspecting Naruto into the air. Before the blonde could activate his air chakra, he was caught in the summon's mouth. Using his wind chakra to keep the corrosive acids, what the beast called saliva off him, Naruto realized that he was in the perfect place to win this battle. _'Alright you bastard, you better hope your insides are as hard as your outside,'_ Naruto thought while smirking and unleashing his favorite jutsu.

"Hope you're ready for this you overgrown earthworm, _Chakra Shokkou: Chire_!!"

The several bursts of compressed chakra tore through the snake's body before severing the snake in two. Breaking out from his acidy prison, Naruto didn't even complain over the grotesque smell or the green slobber that covered him. The only thing on his mind was making it to his team in time to help. Letting the chakra-filled wind rushing past him clean his body, Naruto entered the clearing where Sasuke's chakra was currently spiking.

'_Maybe I'm not too late…,'_

With Sasuke and Sakura…

Breathing in deeply, Sasuke finished his handseals and unleashed one of the two jutsu that he learned in Wave. Unleashing a stream of red-hot fire, Sasuke watched the incinerating element glide across the several strings of fireproof wires connecting his strongest _Katon_ jutsu to the Grass kunoichi.

Hearing the yell of agony when the raging fires connected with the kunoichi, Sasuke looked over to Sakura's trapped form while thinking, _I didn't need her help anyways, and this once again proves that the Sharingan is the greatest power!_

Sakura, unaware of Sasuke's growing dementia, was pinned to a nearby tree barely conscious since an oversized boa constrictor was squeezing the life out of her. This snake, strangely enough, had large venom glands despite its species of snake not to have any. Unaware of Sasuke's victory, Sakura was silently berating herself for falling into the kunoichi's trap, leaving Sasuke to fight the woman alone.

However, neither could have predicted what happened next. The screams of agony slowly turned into an insane laughter as the woman walked out of the fires and through the steel wires that bound her. Seeing this, Sasuke suppressed his shock and decided to pull out his trump card.

_I was saving this one for Naruto, but I guess I don't have much of a choice now,_ the raven-haired Uchiha thought, before activating the _Chidori_. The buzzing of the forming jutsu grew louder and before he knew it, the insane laughter that was filling his eardrums was now by the chirping of a thousand birds. Looking down at his chakra-filled hand Sasuke knew his limit and thought that, _this will be my last jutsu. It has to finish the job._

Diving forward to the still immobile enemy, Sasuke shoved the jutsu forward. The blunt edge of chakra that it had once been was now a sharpened blade of lightning. Sasuke was constantly training between the mission to Wave and the Second Exam with this and now wanted to see if it had paid off.

ZZZZZzzzz…zz…z…

The _Chidori_ died out, leaving a dumbstruck Sasuke looking into the eyes of a deformed grass kunoichi. The woman, with the skin of her face peeling, was holding Sasuke's wrist, effectively stopping his greatest jutsu and leaving him completely chakra-exhausted and defenseless.

"Who are you?" Sasuke managed to ask, hoping to buy himself some time. The woman chuckled, but unlike her last insane laugh, this one was deeper and slightly more masculine. Grabbing her half-melted face the woman began peeling back the folds of melted skin, revealing half of a ghostly pale, male face.

"Oh Sasuke-kun, I'm so glad you asked. For you see, I am a god in the making, the bearer of Ultimate Power, and the answer to all ambitions," the man revealed capturing Sasuke with his words. Tossing the boy back several feet away, the man didn't show that he was impressed that the Uchiha could still stand, but instead asked, "Now what do you have to offer, in exchange for your life."

Reaching into his kunai pouch, Sasuke didn't pull out a deadly flying star, but instead in his hand was a small scroll that said Heaven. Holding it up Sasuke said, "I offer this scroll, in exchange for my teammates and my own life." Taking the silence as an approval, Sasuke tossed the scroll, only to see it intercepted in mid air.

The blur, which revealed itself to be Naruto, steered itself in front of Sasuke and broke the branch connecting the pale man and himself. Turning to Sasuke, Naruto made his way up to Sasuke while pocketing the scroll.

"Dobe, this isn't the time for your pride! This guy will…," but Sasuke never finished seeing as Naruto punched the boy with the fading chakra of his _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_, which didn't take off his head but left him reeling. Not even bothering to conceal his anger, Naruto turned his back to Sasuke while preparing to fight the pale man.

"Pride…," Naruto snorted before continuing, "Pride, Sasuke! You think this is about pride! No, this isn't about pride, because unlike you, I am not so wrapped up in myself and my massacred clan that I can see death when it is right in front of my eyes. Seriously, do you really think someone that's powerful enough to put Sakura in such a position while fighting you at the same time is interested in this exam? No… he's way too powerful for that and giving him the scroll would only have made your death more shameful to your family."

As Naruto finished his speech, the man arrived back on the level as the two males from Team Seven. Hiding even more of his face in the shade of the canopy, the man seemingly said, "Yes, as strong as you are Sasuke-kun, you still have much to learn in the ways of the shinobi. A problem I seek to alleviate."

Placing his hand on the disfigured folds of flesh hiding his face, the ghost of a man peeled the rest of them off, revealing that he was in fact Konoha's greatest traitor, Orochimaru. Setting himself for a fight, Naruto knew he couldn't win but there was at least a small chance that his fight with the Legendary Sanin may attract the attention of the village and save him and his team.

'_So I just have to make this fight as noisy and noticeable as possible,'_ Naruto figured while flaring his chakra. Unfortunately, the second that he took in order to do that, Orochimaru formed the handseals for his own personal jutsu.

Stretching his neck to inhuman proportions, Naruto barely dodged Orochimaru's attack, only to find out that he wasn't the target. Not waiting for Orochimaru to remove his fangs from Sasuke's neck, Naruto shot his _Chire_ at Orochimaru's body. The snake man remotely controlled his body with chakra, making it jump out the way of the destructive balls of light while retracting his head from Sasuke's neck. Landing on an adjacent branch, Orochimaru smirked at the screams of pain that Sasuke was projecting.

Looking to Naruto, Orochimaru said, "And then there was one… come young jinchuriki; show me the power of the Kyuubi." Gladly obliging, Naruto dug deep inside, pulling out all his chakra before making the seals for his most powerful jutsu.

"_Naiteki Kai_!!"

**Author's Note:** Well I hope that this chapter was good, and after a long break, I hope the action in this chapter made up for the slowness in the last. Well, now it's Orochimaru vs. Naruto; who is about to show Orochimaru that he is not only messing with a demon container, but a force of nature as well. Also I know that Sasuke may have come off as a bit more emo and prideful in this chapter than in the manga/anime, but remember both Naruto AND Sakura are threatening his position as the top dog now making him more defensive and thus going further back into his superiority complex that he built up to protect himself.

On another note, I'm going to say this now. I WON'T ABANDON THIS FIC, okay with that out the only reason I get go of Seeing Past because I really let it go which was a direct result of my lack of planning. However, DOAD is planned out beginning to end and all I have to do is write it. So please no more threats on killing me if I abandon this fic.

(1): The Oath is referring lightly to the Hippocratic Oath all doctors must take, swearing them only to heal not harm and things along those lines (such as patient/doctor confidentiality).

**Something Extra: **A little, treat for you all.

Chapter 12: Preview

The Masks We Wear…

Tearing the chains from Naruto's chest, Orochimaru watched the boy crumpled unto the branch they were standing on. _Such power… This is no mere child but a god such as me!_ the narcissist snake thought, while looking down on the blonde's convulsing body. Turning to leave, Orochimaru stopped when he felt a sudden surge of power, so much that he could barely believe his eyes when he saw Naruto struggling to stand.

"What… did you do to me?" Naruto asked, breathing heavy and eyes half-lidded in fatigue. Despite the power he was emitting, his body was ready to fall from under him. Humoring the boy, Orochimaru hid his fear and just smiled.

"I have given you all the power you could ever want Naruto-kun…"

--

Peering into the two red eyes, Naruto readied himself. The voice as smooth as silk boomed in his ears with awe-inspiring authority.

"I am everything you loath," the being said as nine tails of demonic red chakra flailed behind him. "I am everything you cannot control," the spirit added complicated seals, resembling a true Shinigami covered his pale skin "And I am all that is sealed within," the doppelganger finished as his red eyes grew and specific black pattern, before charging...

P.S.: I hope that has you pumped for the next chapter, because I can't wait to write it. Well as I said above, and until next time…

Black Saint


	12. The Masks We Wear

"": Spoken

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts _

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know, I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

Looking to Naruto, Orochimaru said, "And then there was one… come young jinchuriki; show me the power of the Kyuubi." Gladly obliging, Naruto dug deep inside, pulling out all his chakra before making the seals for his most powerful jutsu.

"_Naiteki Kai!!"_

Chapter 12: The Masks We Wear…

A surge of energy flew out in all directions, coming as a direct aftermath from Naruto releasing his chakra. As if years of built up pressure had been released, masses upon masses of chakra poured out of the boy, which stemmed from his sole intent to kill the man in front of him.

To Orochimaru, it was as if Naruto had poured his heart and soul into his next jutsu. Smirking at the display of raw chakra Orochimaru thought, _'It seems the little demon does have some power to back up his words,' _before raising his chakra level to meet the blonde's level. As the chakra around the jinchuriki reached a blinding level, Orochimaru simply summoned his long sword, _Kusanagi_, from his torso and braced himself for the demon host's wrath.

Minutes Before, Several Miles Away…

Team Eight was silently jumping from branch to branch, each member lost in their own train of thought. Having already secured both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, it had taken a two-to-one vote to convince Kiba that going scroll hunting wasn't the best idea. Remembering Naruto's unspoken hesitancy whenever he looked over towards the only team representing Suna, Hinata had quickly put two and two together, figuring it would be better to face them in an environment with strictly enforced policies, as well as having more information on them.

Shino, who also came to the same conclusion as Hinata, vetoed Kiba's idea in favor of arriving to the Tower first. However, neither Hinata nor Shino could have predicted that they would feel a release of familiar chakra that would throw all of their plans skyward.

Barely able to maintain their foothold on the tree they had landed on, thanks to the enormous amounts of chakra coating the trees, the recon specialized team immediately turned all their attention to figuring out this question, who could release that much chakra?

Hinata felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she thought of the dark eyes that belonged to the smallest shinobi of the sand. It was as if his presence alone was enough to smother her into oblivion, but still, Hinata pushed down the negative emotions plaguing her mind before activating her _Kekkei Genkai, _and as the white eyes of the _Byakugan_ scanned miles out, alongside the infamous Inuzuka nose, and multipurpose Aburame _Kikai Insects_, each working in perfect harmony to decipher where exactly the eruption of chakra originated… and if the originator was friend or foe.

It didn't take long for the team to find the origin of the chakra as well as its originator. Sniffing in disbelief Kiba uttered, "Naruto… There's no way in hell that Naruto is putting out that much chakra," before sniffing again only to get the same results, much to his disbelief.

Staring idly at a _Kikai Insect _on his finger, Shino complied with Kiba's analysis, "I must agree with Kiba. Even though Naruto was always one of the strongest in the academy, this amount of chakra is comparable to that of our Hokage or the Legendary Sanin."

Keeping her eyes glued towards the direction of the chakra backlash, Hinata knew, even though the maelstrom of energies that Naruto was at the center and it was his power that was making the chain wildly pulsate. Closing her fist around her mother's memento, Hinata's gaze hardened as she turned to her teammates.

Assuming a position of command normally maintained by either of her male companions, Hinata simply said, "It is Naruto, and both of you know it, even though you don't want to admit it. Now you have a choice: you can disregard what your shinobi instincts are telling you and leave our comrade in trouble, or you can follow me and help save Naruto before whatever he's fighting wins and possibly come after us."

Turning to leave, Hinata let the silence set in for a moment before leaving with some parting words, "You know a wise friend once told me: those who abandon their mission are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash." With that, Hinata disappeared into the sea of leaves, leaving her two comrades to ponder what she said.

It didn't take long, seeing as Shino took off after her without a word as Kiba trailed behind, complaining loudly. "Figures that Hinata would guilt us into going even if we did refuse. I swear Naruto's effect on her has gotten worse and worse. I mean what ever happened to the quiet, shy Hinata that we knew back in the old days…" As characteristic as Kiba's whining was, Shino decided to be out of character for a moment and decided to say something.

"She changed the moment she met Uzumaki Naruto, or were you too blind to see that, Kiba?" Gob smacked at Shino's attempt at a joke, Kiba almost missed his next step, letting his two partners get even farther ahead. Letting the words process in his mind for a second or two, Kiba smiled his feral grin before taking off after the two.

_Well, at least I may be able to see how the dumb blonde got so strong, _was Kiba's last thought as he headed off.

With Team Seven…

"_Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_!!" Behind the piercing yell was a chakra induced punch, aimed at the former Konoha shinobi, Orochimaru's, head. Dodging nimbly, Orochimaru didn't even have time to talk as the chain links connected to the pre-teen blonde's arm, shooting forward and ripped through the tree trunk behind him with ease.

Leaping to the side, Orochimaru avoided the devastation of Naruto's attack, only to find himself in line for the next one. Apparently, the jutsu that the boy used not only increased his punching power to the point it could rival his ex-teammate Tsunade's, given the chakra he was packing behind it, but it also seemed to increase his over all power tenfold. How else could he explain the boy swinging a severed tree trunk at him, as if it were nothing?

Jumping over the incoming mass of wood, it was his decades' worth of experience which saved Orochimaru from being torn into two by Naruto's _Kuukigiri_. Twisting his body like a contortionist, Orochimaru's body managed to flip over Naruto's air slash, which managed to not only cut the flying log behind him in half, but also splinter the giant trunk into several pieces.

Instinct once again saved Orochimaru when his muscle memory deflected the several balls of energy sent his way, curtsey of Naruto's _Chakra Shokkou: Chire_. The balls of chakra bounced off of _Kusanagi_, before finding their way to the falling pieces of the shattered tree trunk behind him, creating shrapnel that fired in every direction.

Landing from his jump, Orochimaru landed unscathed by any of Naruto's attacks; however, he was slightly unnerved at the power that the boy was exhibiting. It wasn't arrogance talking whenever Orochimaru said he had surpassed his sensei's chakra reserves, but the power that just seemed to seep out of Naruto's pores trumped both his and the Legendary Professor's chakra reserves in both of their primes.

Watching the pieces of wood fly towards Naruto like wooden kunai, tossed aside by a bit of elementally manipulated chakra, which impressed Orochimaru greatly. However, seeing the boy do it with what looked like no conscious effort was by far the most mind-blowing thing Orochimaru had ever seen in a shinobi so young.

_So it seems Naruto-kun has control as well as power. It matters not though, the seal on the boy poses a threat, especially if he is able to wield this much without tapping deeper into his Shinigami spirit…,_ Orochimaru thought while readying himself for the next volley of attacks from the enraged jinchuriki.

Naruto stepped forward; his appearance was that of an enraged wind god incarnate. The normal placid and tame _Juushuu_ _Chakra_ was now raging winds of a hurricane. The chakra swirled around Naruto protectively and at the same time, it accented to his Shinigami look. Naruto's blue eyes shined brightly, and right as he raised his katana above his head and bringing it down in a single dignified stroke, the hurricane winds parted as a wave of concentrated chakra shot out of Naruto's blade.

Unlike his last slash, this was too fast to dodge and Orochimaru could feel it would take a bit more effort to block this one. Putting _Kusanagi_ against the chakra imbedded winds; Orochimaru found he was straining to hold back Naruto's more powerful air slash. Just as he felt his chakra beginning to overtake Naruto's, Orochimaru turned to the side when he heard a soft, "_Kuukigiri."_

This slash, which was just as powerful as the last, hit Orochimaru dead-on, causing a spire of wind chakra to shoot straight up into the air resembling a tightly knit funnel cloud. Pausing for a moment, Naruto didn't even flinch as he turned in order to fend off the countless snakes with the flick of his sword.

Watching the hurricane winds around Naruto decimate the snakes for his _Sen'eitajashu_ with a simple swing of the sword, Orochimaru took aim once again and fired off another volley of his _Sen'eitajashu_. The snakes poured from underneath the fabric of his sleeve, but soon destroyed once again, this time thanks to Naruto's _Chakra Shokkou: Tama_. 

The blast incinerated the snakes as well as burned Orochimaru's hand a bit, but the Snake Sanin got what he wanted. Orochimaru could see that his perseverance was starting to wear Naruto down, and even though the boy had dominated most of the fight, his chakra reserves were dwindling.

_He will try to end the fight quickly, and when he does, he will walk right into my trap, _Orochimaru thought while plotting against Naruto. Proving that the old saw that with youth came recklessness; Naruto completely filtered all his power into an attempt to win the fight.

"_Tenken: Kyuub…,'_ Naruto started only to have his ascension to power cut short. Staring down at the diced hand holding the chains connected to his chest; Naruto remained mute as Orochimaru made his way through his _Juushuu Chakra_, holding onto the chains that were bound to his chest tightly.

The pain was almost palpable when Orochimaru gave his first tug, and Naruto doubled over as the pain seeped from his very core. Looking up with defiant eyes, Naruto stared into the cold, golden orbs belonging to the Sanin before…

Snap…

Tearing the chains from Naruto's chest, Orochimaru watched the boy crumple unto the branch they were standing on. _'__Such power… This is no mere child but a god such as me!'_ the narcissist snake thought, while looking down at the blonde's convulsing body. Turning to leave, Orochimaru stopped when he felt a sudden surge of power, so much so that he could barely believe his eyes when he saw Naruto struggling to stand.

"What… did you do to me?" Naruto asked, breathing heavy and eyes half-lidded in fatigue. Despite the power he was emitting, his body was ready to fall from underneath him. Humoring the boy, Orochimaru hid his fear and just smiled.

"I have given you all the power you could ever want Naruto-kun…," and indeed he had, because within the lurking hollow feeling that was building in his chest, was another being, one that was sentinel and just as powerful as any of Naruto's Shinigami powers.

Falling to his knees and off the branch, Naruto's body felt as cold as when it first bounded with the Shinigami. His arm burned abnormally like when the tattooed chains first were bound to his flesh, but despite the pain, Naruto turned up right giving him a chance to see the fleeing Sanin before darkness overtook his vision.

Within The Seal…

Naruto looked around perplexed since he was not in his normal dreams, nor was he in the crypt-like area where he first met the Shinigami. Turning his gaze from the endless abyss in front of him, Naruto looked down to see that he was standing on a tower. Looking around, it seemed as these towers, which were perfect replicas of the Hokage's Tower, were scattered across this abyss standing out like ivory in the misted whirlwind of ebony.

The spires that were in stark contrast with their surroundings went out as far as his eye could see. Totally consumed with trying to figure out where he was, Naruto didn't even feel the presence appear behind him until the being spoke out.

"You know, you never cease to amaze me Naruto; by all means right now you, should be dead to the world and floating in the abyss below. However, you have always proved to be a fighter, and I suppose this way would be more fitting for someone like you Naruto."

Turning, Naruto saw the tell-tale black robes of the Shinigami; however, unlike his own, the figure in front of him had his kimono top opened, revealing a toned torso as well as a seal similar to that on Naruto. Looking up, Naruto noticed the figures face was blocked from view by a striped bucket hat.

"Tenken, what are you talking about? Why should I be dead to the world? Why is this way more fitting for me? Stop talking in riddles and give me a straight answer!" Naruto shouted at the man. Tenken didn't even flinch, but instead pulled the bucket hat a bit tighter onto his head covering most of his red hair. Looking up, Tenken showed his face for the first time to Naruto.

Struck by the startling red eyes, Naruto's gaze locked with his inner Shinigami spirit before the death god spoke. "Since you are so anxious, I suggest you turn around because your answers lay there…"

Elsewhere…

Creeping closer and closer, the predator stalked its prey with feline grace as the furred predator moved like the silence of death. Creeping closer still, the predator was ready to pounce when a kunai struck the ground a mere inch in front of it. Scared out of its wits, the squirrel forgot all about its quarry and ran as if its life depended on it.

Sakura's eyes darted away from the squirrel and to her kunai and then to the elusive 'quarry', a common acorn, before letting out a sigh. The last few hours had been a paranoid hell for her. Not only were both of her teammates still down for the count, but the constant feeling that someone was watching them wasn't helping either.

'_Hopefully the traps I laid will give me enough time to set up a genjutsu, or at least give me time to think up a plan,'_ Sakura pondered while worrying over what the rising of the sun would bring. Letting out another sigh, Sakura then turned to another cause for her grief. Both Sasuke and Naruto were giving off weird chakra signatures.

Sasuke, who seemed to be having a violent nightmare, was murmuring something in his sleep while tossing and turning lightly. His fever had broken, but from her limited medical experience, even Sakura knew that the worse had not passed yet. Sasuke's chakra was still fluctuating widely, and what was even worse was that his killing intent seemed just kept getting stronger.

Naruto, on the other hand, wasn't showing any outward signs of pain; in fact, if it weren't for his slightly fluctuating chakra levels, Sakura would have just considered his problem to be solely a case of chakra exhaustion. However, something in the back of her mind was nagging at her and telling her that Naruto's case was much worse than she realized. She just didn't realize at the time how right her feeling was.

_He doesn't seem to be in as much danger as Sasuke, but why do I feel like his situation is much direr?_ Taking her mind off of Naruto, Sakura busied herself by popping a soldier pill that Hinata had insisted she take with her. Feeling the familiar effects of the tiny pill, Sakura's fatigue seemed to ebb out of her. Just in time too, as the first set of her traps just went off.

Turning towards the first explosion, Sakura smirked when she heard the curses of one of her aggressors. _It seems that my traps were better laid than I thought…, or maybe these guys won't be so tough,_ Sakura pondered while letting a slightly sinister smile creep onto her face as the second idea came faster through her mind than the first one. However, it wouldn't be fair to be so cocky when she was protecting her two teammates.

Concealing her teammates hiding place with a _Gattai genjutsu_, Sakura knew that her chakra reserves would be taking a hit from this. The basis for the technique was simple, make a genjutsu that feeds off another, and in turn the genjutsu that was being fed off of that would feed off the first, making it an endless cycle. Grinning at her work, Sakura noticed that now the roots totally conceal her teammates; but the distorting genjutsu that accompanied it would make it so that not anyone other than herself and the people inside, her teammates could enter, without thinking that they passed right through the tree.

Making a mental note to thank Kunerai for teaching her such a helpful trick and Hinata for forcing her to keep up her control so that it would work with her growing reserves, Sakura prepared herself for her approaching foes. Seeing three matching genin, land silently Sakura sized up each of her opponents.

'_Two males, one female and judging by the feel of her chakra, she probably has the best control, but the smallest reserves making her a possible genjutsu user…,'_ Sakura's first theory was tested when the girl who loudly introduced herself as Kin threw a senbon at her. Dodging neatly, Sakura had to force chakra from the few tenketsu in her head to avoid falling into the genjutsu that was being delivered through the sound waves. Suppressing a sigh at the close call, Sakura smirked at Kin, which infuriated the Sound genin before going back to her thoughts.

'_Okay that theory has been confirmed, and judging by her body language I'd say that's about all she's got in the genjutsu department, too bad because I can easily top that,' _Sakura concluded while silently thanking Hinata for teaching her how read a person's body to discern emotions. Letting her smirk widen, Sakura sent a present of her own to her opponent.

Seeing the single kunai flying at her, Kin immediately shifted to the side, boasting on how 'academy-like' Sakura's skills were; however, little did Kin know that she played right into Sakura's hands. The kunai just thrown was intentionally thrown alone because: one it would be looked down upon those making it easier for Sakura to conceal the light genjutsu surrounding it. The genjutsu created a pocket of air behind so that an objects flying behind it were silent, and two, she threw the kunai because in the dawn, little light was able to perfectly hide the kunai flying silently in the shadowed vacuum behind it.

Predicting the first perfectly, Kin barely had time to look shocked before throwing herself to the side in order to dodge the second kunai. Seeing some of her hair fall to the ground after being cut by the hidden kunai, Kin looked up at the still-grinning Sakura with fire in her eyes. Hearing the laughter of her teammate behind, Kin turned around before letting her 'supportive' comrade have it.

"Shut it Zaku! I can handle this, now butt out and let me concentrate." However, before she could turn back to Sakura, her usually silently teammate spoke up, "No. Kin, you had your chance, now we do it the way we planned…," Dosu started before pausing.

The silence had a dramatic and nerve-wreaking effect on Sakura, who was anxious just to get back to the fight and the sound-nin granted her wish when Dosu said, "… Three-on-one!!"

As the three charged, another group of three looked from the treetops. Two of the three were holding the third and only female member of the group back by the arms. Ripping her arms from her two teammates grasps, the angry teen turned to her teammates before letting them have it, "Kiba, Shino it's three on one now! And I don't care if she's on an opposing team the rules have changed, especially since she's a Leaf genin."

Hinata had spent the greater part of the morning trying to convince her teammates to help Sakura, but her original idea just to rush to the tower and end the exam was firmly planted in their minds. However, she managed to convince them to stay under the basis that they could observe the competition, but once the Sound team decided to cheat, Hinata wanted to even the odds, in their favor of course.

Seeing that she wasn't convincing her teammates, Hinata turned toward the scene of her frustration before telling her team, "Well if you won't help then …," however she had stopped herself when a green blur appeared in front of Sakura and the _Zankuha _thatZakuhad fired at Sakura. The figure pulled a massive root from the ground below and used it to deflect the air waves.

Amazed by the boy's strength, Hinata broke out of her awe inspired state only when Dosu jumped into the air holding his ganulet clad arm. Suspicious of the weapon, Hinata activated her _Byakugan_ and analyzed its properties. Seeing the charka running through it, Hinata knew that a simple root wouldn't be able to deflect whatever Dosu had planned for the green figure, so with an advanced display of chakra control, Hinata slid onto the underside of the branch she was standing on before firing herself toward the ground.

Her trajectory was under that of Dosu's high jump, and with the speed of her push-off, Hinata had perfectly positioned herself to deliver a powerful, "_Kaiten_!!" Whirling her body, Hinata completed a mid-air _Kaiten_, which deflected Dosu's strike before landing gracefully on a knee. Pulling herself to a standing position, Hinata whipped her head up, revealing her _Byakugan _before declaring, "You cowards will now face the might of the _Byakugan_ and the wrath of its Heiress, Hyuuga Hinata."

Within the Seal…

Naruto found himself perplexed once again. It was as if he was staring at his own negative film image. The being's face was as pale as snow and his outfit was the exact opposite of Naruto's Shinigami kimono. However, the white over black outfit and the pale skin weren't nearly as startling as the replica's black eyes surrounding his crimson blood-like irises.

The figure's posture was relaxed, almost tranquil really, but that hadn't fooled Naruto for a second. The shade's smile was more than enough to send all types of warning flags off in Naruto's mind. Cocky and completely confident, the doppelganger moved forward while casting his gaze from Naruto to Tenken.

"You know, that wasn't very polite. Leaving him completely in the dark about what, or should I say who, he is about to confront knowing that he'll be at a complete disadvantage."

The shade's words immediately put Naruto on guard, but they weren't as disturbing as what Tenken said.

"It couldn't be helped, you know as well as I that even if did help him as I could, he still wouldn't be prepared to fight you. You two are as you say… equals."

The benighted soul gave out a humorless laugh, taunting Naruto before he said, "Only in the abilities we have access to; but believe me this _child_ has nowhere near enough experience, and from what I've seen, talent to even come close to beating me." Tenken merely sighed, but Naruto's reaction was much more profound.

"Look here you fucking degenerate _Kage Bunshin_; I don't care how much of a _child_ I may be to you. One thing I am absolutely sure of is that there is no way a clone, whether they look exactly like me or if they look like they haven't seen the sun in years, can be me, the original!" Naruto words seemed to invoke some sort of twisted humor in his opponent seeing as all the doppelganger did was laugh before sending a piercing glare to his other half.

"You actually believe I am one of your pet _Kage Bunshin_!? The idea of you associating me, someone who has access to every one of your thoughts and abilities to a mere clone of you is damn near priceless!" The Dark Naruto, a title which was bestowed on the mirror being by the original, merely burst into a fit of laughter once he was done speaking. Naruto was irked by the lack of respect from the being that claimed to be much more than a common _Kage Bunshin_, and as Naruto's anger was almost palpable when he asked, "Then what are you?"

Stopping in mid-laugh, the shade donned a serious expression for the first time. Even the sinister smirk on his face could not belittle the serious air that hovered around like Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra_.

Peering into the two red eyes, Naruto readied himself. The voice that was as smooth as silk boomed in his ears with awe-inspiring authority.

"I am everything you loath," the being said as nine tails of demonic red chakra flailed up behind him. "I am everything you cannot control," the spirit added as complicated seals, resembling a true Shinigami, covered his pale skin "And I am all that is sealed within," the doppelganger finished as his red eyes grew and a specific black pattern, before charging...

Simultaneously, both Naruto uttered a war cry that signified the seriousness of this battle.

"_Naiteki Kai!!"_

Their chakra flared to match one another's growing power and in an instance, their two blades clashed in the center of the façade of the Hokage Tower. One black, the other white, both blades equally matched, much like their wielders. Grunting, Naruto pushed his dark alter-image with all his might and within seconds, he had his doppelganger on the edge of the tower. Looking the shade right in the eye, Naruto's gaze of rock-hard determination met with a look of amusement.

Having obviously angered his archetype, the darkened spirit that resided in Naruto asked in a casual, almost bored tone, "Why are you so WEAK!" before launching Naruto backwards with one swing of his white katana, something that took Naruto multiple attacks to get him to that end of the building.

Skidding across the tower's concrete surface, Naruto tried desperately to attach himself to the stone roofing. His actions were to no avail, and his darker half's attack now seemed much stronger than before. Hitting the edge of the tower and tipping off, Naruto manipulated the wind around him to guide him safely to the edge of the tower, now stuck to the surface like glue.

His darker half's offensive didn't stop there though, no, the twisted clone moved to attack Naruto while he was bound to the side of the tower. His approach however, was quite a bit more tactful than anything Naruto encountered before.

Feeling his _Junshuu Chakra_ flare, Naruto instinctively deciphered the precognitive warning before turning his attention downwards. Placing his sword protectively in front of him Naruto heard, "_Tenken: Kamikyukai!"_

The release command was quickly followed by the words, "_Kuekikami: Epe!"_ Knowing that Naruto had no time even to release his own soul slayer, before the lightning fast barrage hit him, let alone matching it, Naruto braced himself for the oncoming onslaught. However, before the stone walls of the tower were even broken by his alter ego's attack, Naruto's defenses were pierced by the visage of a rapier made completely of chakra.

Looking numbly at the swirling mass of chakra in the shape of a rapier, Naruto stared down at his chest in disbelief. Not only had the rapier ripped right through his zanpakuto with relative ease, but also, the swirling mass of wind molded chakra tore through Naruto's layered clothing a left a small wound on his center of his chest. His shock prevented him from even attempting to block his darker half's follow up and blasted Naruto back by the explosion of chakra that sent him backwards as well as upwards.

The explosion shook Naruto out of his reverie and with a surge of chakra, Naruto fixed his katana just in time to defend himself from another one of his doppelganger's rapier barrages.

"_Kuekikami: Epe!"_ the clone rung out again and like the time before, phantom rapiers shot out from his released zanpakuto. However, unlike last time, the dark half of Naruto showed he had explicit control over how faster his rapier blasts flew as well as in what pattern the blades flew.

Naruto, who was quickly overwhelmed by the constant jabs of the chakra blades and in a movement of frustration, unleashed his _Shikai_, creating a chakra backlash that destroyed all the rapiers around him. However, Naruto's counterattack left an opening that his darker half more than willingly jumped at.

"_Soudai _**_yuuhodou_****!!" **

Suddenly, Naruto was surrounded with the chakra impressions of his rapier zanpakuto. Spinning around Naruto as if he were their axis, the phantom blades spun and weaved around each other as if they were ballroom dancing. Unable to keep his eyes on the blades Naruto slid into a defensive stance, which his multiple zanpakuto mimicked, creating a cocoon of black blades to protect Naruto.

Naruto's timing was perfect, because as soon as his last weapon was in place, the shade's rapiers began to pelt the cocoon from all angles. Naruto could hear the stress his soul cutters were under, but they held firm even when his alter image rammed the side of the cocoon with his real rapier.

The attack was not only enough to shake Naruto from within his protective barrier, but it also pierced the shell his weapons had made for him. Barely dodging the strike, Naruto opened up his barrier only to see his alter ego coming down on him for an aerial attack.

Examining his dark image closely, Naruto noticed that he didn't have all nine of his weapons out. In fact, he only had the rapier in hand which was linked to a chain that was bound to his wrist by a bracelet strikingly similar to the band that bound all his weapons together. Focusing back onto the battle, Naruto used his _Junshuu Chakra_ to find another tower to land on while using his natural affinity with wind to guide him safely to the top. Once in the green, Naruto sent all his weapons forward in an attempt to impale the sarcastic inner demon, when the shade erupted in laughter.

"You can't be serious or do you just not get it? Well then, I guess I'll have to show you just exactly how weak you are compared to me!" his words rang out clearly as he descended down on his archetype and right before impact he uttered the words, "_Kuekikami: Ono_, _Gengestu Wareru_!" His rapier morphed into the mighty battle axe Naruto used to cut through the Great Bridge, ironically named after him, before speeding past his weapons and sending a crescent slash which was heading straight for him. 

Naruto's own _Kuekikami_, battered by the previous rapier jabs, wasn't able to withstand the crushing pressure of his alter ego's attack. In fact, the Hokage Tower under him hadn't been able to stand up to the attack and just like that; half of the tower had been cleaved into two. Following up his brutal attack with another, the shade morphed his axe into the naginata before wildly spinning the blades around his body while rotating them faster than ever.

The winds from the black void collected above his rival's form, before coming down and merging with his naginata. To Naruto, it was as if a black funnel cloud was descending down on him, but when he tried to move his body, it wouldn't respond. It was as if the crushing pressure from the _Gengestu Wareru_ was holding him in place. That however, was nothing compared to the pain he felt when the cyclone of black winds descended down upon him.

"_Teikiatsu Kyouran_,"

The winds were moving in all directions, concentrated solely on ripping the true Naruto's being apart, but the worse part must have been when his corrupted image pierced him with his naginata. It was as if the winds were trying to escape from inside, not caring if it ripped him asunder while doing so.

When the winds died down, Naruto felt himself being picked up. Looking towards the evil clone that was holding him a foot off the ground, Naruto felt the chains connecting to his weapons faintly jingle before emitting their stored chakra to form a weak barrier of faint chakra.

The shade merely laughed sardonically before saying, "How cute, little Naru-chan's zanpakuto is actually trying to protect him from me, who is also a part of him! It would almost be endearing, if it weren't so disgustingly pathetic." Releasing Naruto, the evil alter image let the boy drop before sending his gauntlet covered hand forward.

The fist crashed into the barrier, crushing it inward before sending Naruto flying and the dark being crying out the words, "_Reikoku Soutei_." The coolly uttered phrase caused the armored hand to fly off towards Naruto, who was gripping his sides painfully before pinning him to another tower in the distance. Looking up, Naruto had just enough time to see his opponent winding up his mace for a swing.

"_Gekiha Seiryoku_," as if commanded by the words the mace expanded to that of ten times its maximum size, encompassing Naruto and about one third of the tower. On instinct, Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra_ flared to life, molding the air around it with chakra to grind the sharp spikes on the flail in order to blunt the spikes' sharpness. Battered by the massive ball of chakra, Naruto crashed through the concrete of the building before stopped by a sharpened point.

Behind him stood his, now hated, alter ego holding him up by his _Kuekikami: Ken_, which found itself dug inside Naruto's shoulder. Wincing when the homicidal replica swung his blade upwards, Naruto flew into the air before being hit with a beam of soul-piercing chakra.

"_Reikon Heki_!" the Naruto's benighted half yelled gleefully. Not giving him the satisfaction of hearing him scream, Naruto was subjugated to another vicious assault. Moving into the strongest stage of their shared _Shikai_, Naruto's darkened half drew a katana very much like his sealed zanpakuto; however, the chakra it was emitting was more than a hundred times of its sealed form.

Flashing upwards, the dark sentinel sliced through his counterpart, leaving Naruto to endure the tortures of the vacuum created by his _Kaze no Doki_. Turning around, a smile came to his face when he saw his so called creator suspended by the whirling winds shredding him apart, with one large gash across his chest from his katana. Feeling a need to show just who was master and who was servant, the dark doppelganger morphed his blade once again.

The smooth, sharp edge of the katana turned jagged and in a cruel display of antipathy, the hollow lengthened and twisted the blades of the serrated, surrounding Naruto so that when they constricted; they would hit him in multiple places.

"_Hebi Aibu_," the words, spoken so softly, put Naruto in so much pain that he began to black out. Falling to the ruined tower below, Naruto felt himself in the cold clasp of the _Kuekikami: Tsume_. Feeling his vision fade, Naruto managed to stay conscious in the black void between the torture of his inner demon and the bliss of death to hear the being approach his prone form. Naruto's hollow was holding his _Kuekikami: Minori_ to his archetype's chin and was about to start his victory speech.

"That was quite a disappointment, you know. I was expecting more from my creator, my archetype if you will. It is a crime really, how you were chosen to be King and me to be your lowly steed. Having to lend my power at a whim to someone as unfitting as you would have been totally unacceptable. Now the positions are different and you shall be my horse to lend me power as I sit atop as King!! (1) And to think it is all because of that snake fool that I am even free; I guess I should thank him by giving him a swift death. However, that will have to wait since there is something much more pressing at hand…,"

Elsewhere…

The three Leaf Nin stared down their opposition, whereas the Sound trio glared back waiting for the first move to be made. Growing impatient Zaku was the first to attack launching his _Zankuha _directly at Sakura. However, Hinata stopped the attack by using another advanced _Jyuuken_ technique.

"_Hakke Kusho_!!"

Her shout, drowned out by the sounds of her chakra wave colliding with Zaku's sonic boom and canceling it out. Grinning at the boy's obvious frustration, Hinata wondered if that was how Neji felt when he developed the technique after years of torment under the Main House.

'_No time to be thinking about my dysfunctional family right now, although I do need to remember to thank Neji for creating such a technique and Naruto for filching the scroll from the clan's library.'_ Shaking her thoughts away as Hinata let a confident smirk play on her face; it was as if she was completely channeling the looks of her father, causing Zaku to take an involuntary step back as Hinata fell into one of the more traditional _Jyuuken _stances.

Having heard of the _Hakke_ stance from his superiors, Zaku immediately went on the defensive. Hearing Hinata announce her _Hakke Rokujuyon Sho_, Zaku shot off another _Zankuha_ but instead of firing straight forward Zaku tilted his shot downwards, so that it would kick up debris, forcing Hinata to defend herself rather than attack him. Unfortunately, Zaku didn't even have the time to gather himself, seeing as the flamboyantly dressed taijutsu master had just knocked his team leader into the air.

For Dosu, the battle with the Leaf Nin hadn't been going well since the beginning. His inferior speed, as well as his less than par taijutsu, left him at the mercy of the oddly dressed boy. Even his trump card, the sound amplifier on his forearm, hadn't been able to connect because of the boy's unnatural agility. It was inevitable that his opponent would try to end the fight, but the manner in which he chose to do so is what Dosu worried about.

"_Konoha Shofu_!"

Looking down in horror, Dosu couldn't even react when Lee's foot connected with his chin. Feeling the full force of the blow overpower his attempt to stick to the ground with chakra, Dosu went completely flying and was now open to Lee's follow up.

"_Kage Buyo_!"

In a surprising burst of speed, Lee appeared behind Dosu and while in his shadow, Lee began to wrap his opponent in his bandages which he loosened seconds ago. Finishing the binding, Lee gripped Dosu before turning groundward and adding a spin to their death dive. Seeing his teammates distress, Zaku automatically went through familiar handseals, before plunging both hands into the hard soil.

"_Zankuha_!"

"_Omote Renge_!"

The two techniques finished their execution seconds within each other, Zaku beating Lee out, but only by a few crucial seconds. His sounds waves, which had passed through the ground, pooled under Dosu's crash point which softened the hard soil enough so that it cushioned Dosu's landing. Removing himself to the soft sands, Dosu turned to see his foe disoriented and significantly slower before a sinister smirk crossed his features.

Relieved that his teammate was in fact alive and fit for battle, Zaku found himself a victim of circumstance. Hinata just finished deflecting the last of the flying debris when Zaku plunged his hands in order to save his teammate. Jumping on the opprotunity to attack, Hinata crossed the several yards between her and her opponent with feline grace undetected until she was in striking distance of her prey.

Zaku managed to get airbourne as Hinata struck, which saved him from being knocked unconscious, but the girl's _Jyuuken_ strike did manage to hit a main tenketsu opening in his leg. Numbness seeped into the appendage and because of it; Zaku wasn't able to land right. Moving in for the kill, Hinata let her overzealousness be her downfall as her tunnel vision allowed her to be blindsided by a senbon to the shoulder.

Looking down at the protruding metal needle sticking out from her arm, Hinata went to pull it out when she suddenly felt drowsy. Focusing on the needle, moreover the bell connected to it, Hinata saw the chakra patterns in the bell instantly with her reactivated _Byakugan_. Cursing her foolishness, Hinata slumped down to the ground, holding onto consciousness as she fought off the sleeping effects of the genjutsu.

Zaku, on the other hand, looked at the girl in surprise. He evidently had suppected her to finish him off, not fall in mid stride. However, when he looked over to the direction in which the senbon came from, the answer came to him quickly. Kin had managed to get the upper hand in her battle with the pink haired genin.

Sakura, who had been up all night watching out for her teammates and who was also wary from putting up the _Gattai genjutsu_, was under Kin with both of her hands pinned by the older girl's heel. The fatigue from the long night and chakra usage had put her at a disadvantage in the battle, despite the upper hand that she held previously. Kin was much better at taijutsu than genjutsu and seeing as she used genjutsu as well as Sakura, there wasn't much Sakura could do to stop her from getting close with her depleted reserves. Once Kin won her battle, she immediately saved Zaku from danger before turning to taunt Sakura.

"Thought you could beat me you cocky little girl? Well it seems the shoe is on the other foot, and I'm going to enjoy grinding you under my heel," Kin whispered harshly as she began to dig her hell into Sakura's hands and back.

Holding back a grunt, Sakura didn't want to give the older girl the satisfaction of hearing her scream, but that only proved to infuriate the Sound kunoichi. Feeling the oppressive female grip her long hair, Sakura immediately cursed herself for keeping it that long, especially when Kin started pulling, increasing the already unbearable pressure on her back. Just as all hope seemed lost, a pulse of chakra drew everyone's attention towards the roots hiding Naruto and Sasuke.

_No!! If the genjutsu falls__, Sasuke and Naruto will be defenseless!_ Sakura's mind screamed desperately as she tried to wiggle free with desperation. This only prompted Kin to pull on her hair harder while digging her heel deeper into the girl's back.

Grinning sinisterly, Kin was having the time of her life when another pulse of chakra drew her attention; this pulse, which was much stronger that the last, sent a spiral of purple chakra shooting up the trunk of the massive tree. Looking through the flickering genjutsu, Kin saw the face that would haunt the last few moments of her existence.

"U-Uchiha S-Sasuke?" the girl managed to stutter out before the boy flashed out of existence and reappeared inches before her. Kin got her answer when Sasuke buried a kunai in her chest. Falling on her back, Kin looked down as her blood flowed out of her in an alarming rate.

Poised for the finishing blow, Sasuke let a twisted grin find its way onto his face, when Sakura grabbed his arm. Turning his semi-insane _Sharingan_ gaze to the pink haired girl, Sasuke frowned when he saw Sakura flinch back after seeing his face. Was she that afraid of his power that she was afraid he'd hurt her?

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Sasuke went back to focusing on the feeling of euphoria as the power pumped through his veins before asking, "Why are you stopping me? She would've killed you if it hadn't been for me and now you are stopping me from returning the favor. Sakura, we aren't children anymore we have to kill, or be killed…" His words ended with a slight wistful feel to them. Returning to the task, Sasuke ripped his arm from Sakura's grasp and went to kill Kin when Dosu managed to knock Sasuke with a powerful punch to the head.

Jarred by the blow, Sasuke fell to his knees when the real pain hit, Dosu had poured twice as much chakra into his speaker on his arm causing the sounds emitted to do more than knock off Sasuke's equilibrium. Watching the Uchiha vomit, Dosu went for a second attack when another explosion of chakra drew his attention.

If any fragments of the flickering _Gattai genjutsu_ were still surrounding the base of the large tree still concealing Naruto, they were now scattered to the four winds when the chakra surged pass through it. Behind the destroyed genjutsu rose Naruto, his chakra levels more than twice that of Sasuke's sudden growth of energy. Stepping through the veil of roots, time seemed to stop as Naruto entered the battlefield or at least until the shock of his sudden power increase wore off…

"Who the fuck does this guy think he is!? Well I'll show him what happens when he interferes with one of my battles! _Zankukyokuha_!!"

The air was still and heavy with tension before it erupted in the greatest blast of pressurized sounds waves that Konoha genin had ever seen, or at least it was before Naruto appeared before him faster than any eye could see.

Hinata had a close view of Naruto seeing as she was in point-blank range of the attack, but none of that mattered at the moment, seeing as all she was concerned about was how to block Naruto's shining chakra from blinding her _Byakugan_. Deactivating her bloodline limit just in time, Hinata saw Naruto activate his own technique which cut straight through Zaku's ultimate technique with ease.

"_Kaze no Deki_,"

Naruto's words were barely above a whisper, but the power behind them was more than enough to unsettle Hinata. Looking at the jutsu at work, Hinata couldn't believe what she was seeing. Normally chakra is invisible to all eyes, with the exception of selected doujutsu, but Naruto's jutsu was visible to the naked eye, signifying its power, but also it clearly showed that it also had the manipulation of the elements. Hinata felt shivers run through her as she watched Zaku barely avoid the downward flash of the katana Zaku merely laughed at his luck.

"Was that it? Was that jutsu supposed to finish me off? Well, I hope that you see I'm much stronger…," but Zaku's words were cut off as the whirlwind surrounded him. Enhanced by chakra and fortified by Naruto's natural wind alignment, Zaku found himself being torn apart by the vacuum prison.

Shivering again, this time at the brutality of the technique, Hinata rose to her feet before thanking Naruto. When he didn't reply, Hinata figured he must of have been shaken up on what he had to do in order to save her; however, that thought quickly left her head when she heard him speak.

"You poor deluded child… you are so innocent, so naïve, and so much like chocolate (2). I wonder if Haku will be the same," Naruto whispered before turning around for all to see his face. Hinata held back a gasp before falling on her butt; a fearsome mask covered half of Naruto's face. Looking into the one covered eye, Hinata was completely drawn into the pure red: no pupil, no irisis just the crimson hue of blood. Seeing the bone-like mask continue to grow on his face, Hinata was hypnotized by the eight visible red swirls decorating the mask, and judging by the last forming pieces of the mask, there would be nine…

'_Nine swirls, blood red like the tails of the… of the Kyuubi,'_ Hinata concluded as fear spread through her freezing her thought process. _'Is this the killing intent of the demon fox? Is this the reason everyone is so cold to Naruto-kun? Is it because he harbors the Kyuubi?'_ More and more questions began to form in her head, but before she could even find her voice to ask any of them, Naruto paused and his killing intent seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.

Kiba and Shino dropped beside her before dragging her away from the now thrashing Naruto who seemed to be struggling with himself. Activating her _Byakugan, _Hinata noticed too that the two chakra were dueling at the center of Naruto's stomach, the focal point of all chakra in the body.

_Could Naruto-kun be fighting off the Kyuubi?_ Hinata wondered while continuing to stare at the clashing powers.

Within The Seal…

Naruto's shade could hardly believe his eyes; his creator was surging with more chakra than ever before. Taking an involutary step backward the shade looked down to see that his hands were trembling, forcing his feelings of anxiety and fear down the shadow turned him eyes to his other half before deciding to finish his archetype once and for all.

'_Kuekikami Minori_, _Mangestu Minori_!!"

Carving a circle with his claymore, the motion immediately created a black full moon. Feeling his full power flow through the celestial image, the shade smirked before launching it at Naruto. The ebony sphere hit Naruto directly, and although it didn't seem to do any damage, it ejected a ghostly image of Naruto above him. Rushing towards the image, the shade prepared to cut the astral project in two when Naruto blew him back by another surge of his better half's chakra.

Released from the claw that held him in place, Naruto turned his gaze to his shadow, paralyzing the being with pure killing intent. Stepping closer, Naruto let a seemingly innocent smile play on his face, but to his alter ego, the smile was nothing more than an omen of his demise.

"You, for all the pain and trouble you caused me, I have to thank you. If it weren't for you terrorizing Hinata-chan, my friends, and _Haku_…," Naruto stopped on the older girl's name, his eyes borrowing holes in his inner demon, something inside him tugged as well, telling him to destroy whatever his shadow was for even threatening her.

"- I would have never been able to dig deep enough to find the power to destroy you," Naruto finished before charging his replica. The clone, having found his will to fight again, smirked darkly before shouting, "Well then, show me what you've dug up _master_!"

Ignoring the taunt, Naruto surged his chakra through his _Shikai_, which reformed the weapons to match their former glory before charging his counterpart. Charging his _Chakra Shokkou_,Naruto forced the unmolded chakra to his legs, resulting in an unpredicted burst of speed. Slipping under the ring that bound his weapons together, Naruto redirected his chakra to his arm before delivering a powerful punch to his alter image, sending him skyrocketing.

Following the shade upwards, Naruto commanded his _Kuekikami _to orbit around his dark clone, before having his _Junshuu Chakra_ mold chakra in the form of a tight sphere around the demon. Seeing his other half try to escape from the barrier, Naruto smirked when the swirling mass of his wind chakra slashed into his inner demon.

Mentally unlocking the chains of his weapons from their bounds, Naruto floated above his counterpart, with his _Junshuu Chakra_ manipulating the air to hold him up, before telling the replica, "Now that you're in position, I think I should thank you for inspiring this technique, especially since I'm sure it'll finish you." The shade just sneered and Naruto's smirk got even wider when he saw the sneer disappear from the clone's face as he molded the chakra for his technique.

"_Kuekitenbatsu_!!"

The shade paled at the sheer amount of unleashed chakra before mentally assessing how much was actually being expelled, _he's giving off ten times the amount that I give off, but since he's dividing it equally between himself and Kuekikami… he and all of his weapons are as powerful as I am!_

"I see you've figured out that you're so utterly screwed, well fortunately for you, I'm in a hurry and I want to wrap this up quick so…," and in a flash Naruto disappeared and reappeared in front of his clone wielding the his _Kuekikami: Epe_. Unleashing the _Soudai Yuuhodou_, Naruto attacked his clone from all sides with his real and phantom rapiers before flashing away and appearing with _Kuekikami: Ono_.

"_Gengestu Wareru_!!"

Naruto's cry signaled the descent of the crescent shaped cleaver that would have crushed his clone the same way his clone's had crushed him, if it hadn't been for his sphere of chakra holding him in place and grinding his back against the raging chakra filled winds. An haggard look appeared on the dark demon inside of Naruto, who barely heard Naruto's cry of _Teikiatsu Kyouran_ before he found himself torn apart by two walls of wind and the cold steel of the soul reaping naginata tear into him.

Knowing what was next, the dark double tried to defend against the _Reikoku Soutei_, but the frigid gantlet's clasp was unavoidable and for the third time the doppelganger found himself battered against Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra_ before he saw _Kuekikami: Sumasshu_ bloat in form before the _Gekiha Seiryoku_ knocked him through the barrier surrounding him and into Naruto's next attack.

"_Kaze no Doki_!!"

The katana slash ripped open the outer layer of the shade's kimono before the _Hebi Aisu_ torn the last layer off his chest and sent the demon swirling into the tower below. Falling after his doppelganger with his _Kuekikami: Minori_ in hand, Naruto summoned the _Mangestu Minori_ below his clone, only a few feet above the tower.

Naruto's evil image passed through the black moon seconds before Naruto plunged his claymore into his counterpart's chest and soul. The shade emotionlessly stared upward as he deteriorated before turning his gaze to Naruto and saying, "You may have won this battle, but remember, I am a part of you now and forever. This means that whenever I see the opportunity, any opportunity that I find you slacking, I will seize it and subjugate you as you have done to me. Be warned Naruto, and until that times comes, don't die on me or Haku…," the being added with a twisted laugh before being turned into nothing by Naruto's attack.

Not even worrying about deciphering what the last part could have implied, Naruto just focused on ignoring his wounds, which he suddenly realized he still had and figuring out a way to get out of this abyss and back to the exam. Luckily, for him, he had good friends both inside and outside his mind for when he collapsed on both sides; he had friends to catch him before he fell. As if magically timed, both Hinata and Tenken uttered the same thing at the same time.

"Don't worry Naruto, I've got you. Rest, you saved us all today…"

Read and Review

Well that my friends is my longest chapter to date. I hope that it was good and made up for such a long break I took (sorry, but my exams were a bitch). On a good note, I am out of school for the summer and that means much more time to write (although I will be juggling a job as well as other more school related activities as well).

In addition, I would like to address something that was bugging me from some reviews last chapter. Why did everyone think that Naruto was going to get the curse seal? I mean I do understand where you were coming from with the idea, but no one even said anything about a possible vizard (well at least not in that chapter review, kudos to you dragon-cloud16 for the early pick up). As for the quick hollowfication, if you go back to Ichigo's process I believe that he had a time limit only because the chains had to take time to corrode all the way to the center of his chest before he would turn into a hollow. However, since Orochimaru pulled the whole chain out instead of cutting it piece by piece, I figured the process would be almost instantaneous, with only a few second of shock before Naruto's hollow would consume Naruto.

In addition, I took some advice from a few other authors and started listening to music while writing a battle scene, so hopefully I did all right this chapter. (For those who are curious Naruto vs. Dark Naruto was "Go to Sleep" by Eminem, DMX, and Obie Trice. Hinata, Sakura, and Lee vs. Team Sound was "Push It" by Rick Ross, and Orochimaru vs. Naruto was "Papercut" by Linkin Park.) Well I've updated all my Naruto fics so if you haven't checked out the new chapters please do so, and if you haven't read any of the other fics I advise you do so. I put just as much as myself into those fics as I do this one.

I hope that that answers a few question before they are asked and remember review. It's good to be back and hopefully I can keep the updates rolling out for _ALL_ my fics.

Reference:

(1) Dark Naruto was pretty much quoting Dark Ichigo on the terms of their arrangements with their heroic counterparts. Ironically, both failed in overturning their good alter egos and becoming the king.

(2) If you're up to date with the Bleach manga, then you should recognize this as a corruption of what Dordonii, the privon espada that Ichigo fought in Heuco Mundo, said in his fight with Ichigo. Although in this tense it can be taken as something more (if you know what I mean), especially the Haku part.

Jutsu Logue: Another long one…

_Kusanagi_/ Grass Cutter

Legendary blade of the snake boss, Manda, it is revered for its sharpness as well as it poison. In addition, it seems to only be usable by those who hold favor with the snake boss and not just anyone who holds the snake contract; hence, Orochimaru can use it whereas Anko cannot. Furthermore, the blade is based off of the real life legend of Susanoo and Orochi, where Susanoo slew Orochi and took the blade from the tail of the beast.

_Sen'eitajashu_/ Hidden Shadow Many Snakes Hand

This jutsu allows the user to project a number of snakes from their wrist or sleeve as they make a punching motion towards their intended target. The snakes can be used to inflict multiple wounds at a distance or hold a target in place. The snakes are even capable of poisoning the victim. (wiki)

_Gattai genjutsu_/ Combined genjutsu

Based off of symbiosis, the genjutsu is a jutsu example of two independent jutsu working together to form something greater. In action, the genjutsu are interwoven, feeding off of the other's chakra, creating a cycle in which it becomes near self-sufficient. However, because of the laws of energy, a little bit of energy is lost each turn of the cycle, which limits the duration of the jutsu. Other limitations include: higher chakra reserves needed seeing as the user is conjuring two genjutsu instead of one, and precise chakra control to even attempt to form the genjutsu or otherwise it'll collapse on itself.

_Konoha Shufo_/ Leaf Rising Wind

Using quickness and agility, the user will do a swift upwards kick at their opponent or at a weapon the opponent is wielding. (wiki)

_KageBuyo_/ Shadow of the Dancing Leaf

While the target is airborne, the user jumps in such a way as to appear below the target while following a similar trajectory through the air. Since the victim is airborne, he is in a vulnerable position for a more damaging attack. (wiki)

_Omote Renge_/ Front Lotus

This jutsu requires opening the first chakra gate, giving the user five times their normal strength. Having prepared for the jutsu by unwrapping the bandages on his arms, the user kicks his opponent into the air, and then performs Shadow of the Dancing Leaf. Once he is behind his opponent, he then wraps the arm bandages around them, and grabs them in a bear hug, then piledrives them into the ground while spinning rapidly. The resulting impact will likely kill his opponent, though this has yet to happen due to extenuating circumstances. Because it uses one of the chakra gates, the user is left extremely fatigued, making this jutsu a "double-edged sword." (wiki)

_Zankuha_/ Decapitating Air Wave

A device implanted in both arms of the user (usually from the palms) and allows the control of super sonic sound waves to form air pressure. The device allows the currents to be concentrated in one place, and creates large blasts of air shot from the palms. ()

_Zankukyokuha_/ Ultimate Air Slicing Blast

A device implanted in both arms of the user (usually from the palms) that allows the control of super sonic sound-waves and air pressure. The device allows the currents to be concentrated in one place, and create large blasts of air shot from the palms. This is a more powerful blast than the Zankuha. ()

_Kuekitenbatsu_/ Wrath of the Nine War Gods

An attack developed by Naruto to defeat his inner hollow, the technique incorporates all the techniques of the _Kuekikami_ into nine consecutive strikes while the opponent is bound in the band that holds the weapons together surrounded by raging _Junshuu Chakra_. (P.S. To GhostOfKenshin, how do you like that omnislash?!)

_Soudai Yuuhodou_/ Grand Promenade

An attack developed by Naruto's hollow that focuses all the power of the _Kuekikami_ into the _Kuekikami: Epe_, it allows the user to create chakra silhouettes of the _Kuekikami: Epe_ and control the rapiers in a complex patterns to confuse and attack the enemy at all angles in any order the user chooses. However, Naruto was unable to use the technique until he came up with the _Kuekitenbatsu_.

_Gengestu Wareru_/ Crescent Moon Cleaver

An attack developed by Naruto's hollow that focuses all the power of the _Kuekikami_ into the _Kuekikami: Ono_, thus allowing the user to fire crescent shape masses of chakra, similar to the _Kuukigiri_, which can cleave an enemy in two. In addition, if the target manages to survive, they will then be crushed under the massive amounts of air pressure that was created because of the attack. However, Naruto was unable to use the technique until he came up with the _Kuekitenbatsu_.

_Teikiatsu Kyouran_/ Cyclone Fury

An attack developed by Naruto's hollow that focuses all the power of the _Kuekikami_ into the _Kuekikami: Reppuu_, this gives the user the ability to take control of the winds above to summon down a cyclone to rip their target apart while they devastate them with lightning fast naginata strikes. However, Naruto was unable to use the technique until he came up with the _Kuekitenbatsu_.

_Reikoku Soutei_/ Relentless Binding

An attack developed by Naruto's hollow that focuses all the power of the _Kuekikami_ into the _Kuekikami: Tsume_, this techniques locks onto an opponent's chakra and has the _Kuekikami: Tsume_ chase the target down before binding itself to the target. However, Naruto was unable to use the technique until he came up with the _Kuekitenbatsu_.

_Gekiha Seiryoku_/ Crushing Force

An attack developed by Naruto's hollow that focuses all the power of the _Kuekikami_ into the _Kuekikami: Sumasshu_, thus increasing the size of the already bloated mace to ten times that size. Most useful for demolition and mass destruction, the jutsu can also carve a swath in the defensive lines of soldiers. However, Naruto was unable to use the technique until he came up with the _Kuekitenbatsu_.

_Reikon Heki_/ Soul Pierce

An attack developed by Naruto's hollow that focuses all the power of the _Kuekikami_ into the _Kuekikami: Ken_, increasing the power and focus of the beam of the normal chakra burst exponentially. In addition, if focused on the victim for more than a few moments, the beam of chakra will tear a hole through their body, cauterizing both the wound and any chakra coils it may burn. However, Naruto was unable to use the technique until he came up with the _Kuekitenbatsu_.

_Kaze no Doki_/ Wind's Wrath

An attack developed by Naruto's hollow that focuses all the power of the _Kuekikami_ into the _Kuekikami: Katana_, the execution of the technique is a simple downward slash, but the air rip created from the action traps the victim inside a vacuum, tearing them apart whether they were hit or not. In addition, since the technique only requires a katana, Naruto can also use this technique with the sealed and unsealed _Kuekikami_ as well as by Naruto's bokken. However, Naruto was unable to use the technique until he came up with the _Kuekitenbatsu_.

_Hebi Aisu_/ Serpent's Caress

An attack developed by Naruto's hollow that focuses all the power of the _Kuekikami_ into the _Kuekikami: Heki_, the technique increases the flexibility and length of the _Kuekikami: Heki, _which allows the user to hit the target in multiple places at once with chakra strengthened blades. However, Naruto was unable to use the technique until he came up with the _Kuekitenbatsu_.

_Mangestu Minori_/ Full Moon Harvest

An attack developed by Naruto's hollow that focuses all the power of the _Kuekikami_ into the _Kuekikami: Minori_, thus making this the strongest technique of all the _Kuekikami_. Manifesting the essence of the shinigami's powers into a sphere, the black mass is then launched at the target separating the soul from its body. One slash to the soul is enough to send it onward, and even if the soul is not cleansed, the soul will corrode into nothingness if it is left outside the body for too long. However, Naruto was unable to use the technique until he came up with the _Kuekitenbatsu_.

Black Saint


	13. Rumble In The Ring

"": Spoken

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts _

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know, I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously…

Naruto's evil image passed through the black moon seconds before Naruto plunged his claymore into his counterpart's chest and soul. The shade emotionlessly stared upward as he deteriorated before turning his gaze to Naruto and saying, "You may have won this battle, but remember, I am a part of you now and forever. This means that whenever I see the opportunity, any opportunity that I find you slacking, I will seize it and subjugate you as you have done to me. Be warned Naruto, and until that times comes, don't die on me or Haku…," the being added with a twisted laugh before being turned into nothing by Naruto's attack.

Not even worrying about deciphering what the last part could have implied, Naruto just focused on ignoring his wounds, which he suddenly realized he still had and figuring out a way to get out of this abyss and back to the exam. Luckily, for him, he had good friends both inside and outside his mind for when he collapsed on both sides, he had friends to catch him before he fell. As if magically timed, both Hinata and Tenken uttered the same thing at the same time.

"Don't worry Naruto, I've got you. Rest, you saved us all today…"

Chapter 13: Rumble in the Ring

A cold, wet slap interrupted Naruto's sleep. Jumping from his collapsible cot, fists raised and chakra flaring, Naruto looked around for the soon-to-be dead offender. Hearing another wet slap, Naruto looked down and found the perpetrator that ruined his well-deserved rest. At his feet was a medium-sized trout flopping on the smooth riverbank stones, gasping for air. Grumbling, Naruto picked the dying fish up by its tail and began his search again, for whoever thought dropping a live fish on his face was an appropriate way to wake him up.

"Well it seems as if the blonde is alive and here I was just beginning to question my medical abilities," a vaguely familiar voice called from behind him. Looking back, the reflected light from the Leaf headband caught Naruto's eyes as he gazed upon the seven-time Chunin Exam dropout, Kabuto. The silver haired boy was perched high in a nearby tree and was looking onward as if trying to spot something.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, forgetting all about giving the next person he saw a wet fish slap.

"Looking after you, rookie. You're luck though, most teams usually don't make it this far with one incapacitated member for this long," Kabuto replied causally. Before hopping down from his perch and making his way towards Naruto. Taking a step back, Naruto didn't completely trust the genin's words, and the fact that both of his teammates were gone wasn't helping his paranoia. Reaching for his sword Naruto found that it, along with the rest of his gear, was over by the fire along with the rest of his team's packs. Clothed in only his shorts, Naruto couldn't help but feel that he might as well have been naked before his enemy.

_Figures that it would be out of reach, I guess it's about time for me to brush up on my Kenchoken _(Striking Fist) _again._ Falling into a protective stance, Naruto watched Kabuto hesitate in mid-step before continuing to walk forward. Even though the boy's posture and body language radiated peace and friendship, something in the back of Naruto's mind was telling him to stay on guard.

"Naruto I'm not here to…," but Kabuto never got a chance to finish, as Naruto sprang forward coming in with a jumping spin kick aimed for his head. Ducking under the strike Kabuto turned to face the blonde neither when he noticed that Naruto hadn't stopped spinning nor had he tucked his leg back in. Jumping over the low sweep, Kabuto saw Naruto's hands were in the form of a ram seal, while absently wondered how long they had been like that, before slammed in the back by an unseen force.

Throwing his weight forward, Kabuto landed atop his unseen attacker whilst finishing the handseals for his _Shosen no Jutsu_ (Mystical Palm Technique). A blue haze covered his hands just before they slammed into the pinned opponent's torso. The loud whishing of displaced air resounded in his ears as he sprang to his feet while looking for the ungrateful blonde. Catching movement from the corner of his right eye, Kabuto grabbed the blonde's arm with his glowing hand, allowing the cutting blades of chakra to dig into his opponent's arm. Kabuto wasn't surprised when the blonde erupted into a plume of smoke. Quickly scanning from side to side, only luck was what guided Kabuto's gaze upward and on the blonde descending from unspeakable heights towards him.

_He has a lot of leg power for a genin,_ Kabuto thought to himself, noting the height of Naruto's fall. The boy had his leg raised high and right before impact, he whipped it down, missing Kabuto's head by a hair. However, that didn't stop the after flow of chakra from cutting a few strands of hair from the platinum blonde boy's head before throwing up all the rocks from under Naruto's landing site. Cursing, the clone popped out of existence when a kunai connected with his kidney, leaving Kabuto to search for the genin again.

Naruto put his arms through his jacket while weaving through the hail of sharpened steel, before reaching down to grab his sword. With his free hand Naruto loosed a hail of shuriken before running chakra through his pentacle. Firing off a _Chakra Shokkou: Chire_ blasted while strafing to the right Naruto keep pace with Kabuto step for step as the approached the water and Kabuto launched another wave of weapons to cover is charge.

_He's good. His presence has been completely erased and his ability to produce Kage Bunshin is disturbing for one so young. I will have to be more careful around this one, but it's strange, his taijutsu charts are almost non-existent but he seems to be rather adept at the art. Now I just need to keep him away from his…,_ Kabuto's train of thought was abruptly cut off when he realized that he knew where Naruto was heading. Turning to the boy's gear, he fired a volley of kunai towards the dressing blonde while cursing himself for not realizing his mistake sooner.

Naruto put his arms through his jacket while weaving through the hail of sharpened steel, before reaching down to grab his sword. With his free hand, Naruto let loose a hail of shuriken before running chakra through his pentacle. Firing off a _Chakra Shokkou: Chire_, he blasted while strafing to the right as Naruto kept up with Kabuto step for step, and as they approached the water; Kabuto launched another wave of weapons to occupy Naruto while he charged up his technique.

Blocking the flying mixture of shuriken and kunai with the _Chakra Shokkou: Tate_, Naruto brought his sword up to defend against Kabuto's open palm strike. The chakra-reinforced bokken held against the adaptable strength of the medical jutsu until Kabuto closed his grip around the sword and yanked it from Naruto's grasp and throwing it haphazardly behind him.

On instinct, Naruto snapped his fist forward, but Kabuto was faster; and with a surprising display of skill and knowledge of the human body, Kabuto maneuvered behind Naruto before putting the boy's captured arm into an arm bar. Applying ample pressure to the submission hold, Kabuto allowed Naruto to wear himself out before he decided to speak.

"Now that you're calm, I can tell you I am not your enemy. I have been with your team for the past few days and as for their location, if you look up, you will see that they are alright."

Not having anything better to do, Naruto looked up to see Sakura gaping at his current predicament and Sasuke watching the scene with a rather smug grin on his face. Growling, Naruto yanked his arm away from Kabuto once the genin released the pressure before stalking away to pick up his bokken. Once he retrieved the wooden blade, Naruto turned back to Kabuto, a scowl firmly in place.

"You're pretty strong for a genin who supposedly failed this exam six times, not to mention a bit too well informed on your fellow shinobi, whom I'm sure you've never met," Naruto stated still very suspicious of the fair-haired genin. The timing and the situation he and his team were in was a bit too convenient and not to mention Kabuto's motive for helping them wasn't very clear.

"Naruto, Kabuto-san…," Sakura started falling into her role as eternal peacekeeper once again, however unlike the fights between her two teammate's, one of the party's heads weren't clouded with anger.

"Sakura-san let me handle this, I think I can explain it a bit better anyways," Kabuto cut in, while still keeping his gaze firmly locked with Naruto's, who at the time was drilling holes into his head. Pushing his glasses up, Kabuto severed the intense gaze between the two with sun's reflected rays before starting his tale.

"Naruto-san, three days ago I stumbled across your team as I backtracked along the path my team had traveled in such for any dropped supplies or something of importance we could use during the next portion of the exam. Being a fellow Leaf Nin, I thought it would be in the best interest of Konoha if more of its genin passed so that we make a better standing in the last test, which I've already explained to your partners, which will be in front of the Daimyos of all the elemental countries. Now with that said, I will address your suspicious on my explicit knowledge of the test and its applicants. All the non-classified data on shinobi of Konoha and its allies are available on record in the Konoha Library; I have merely integrated that database into my cards for portability. Besides as Ibiki said, 'Information is the greatest weapon in this age of espionage', it would be foolish of me not to take advantage of every opportunity I've got."

Watching the man lower his glasses, Naruto couldn't help see the motion as a symbolism for the genin lowering his guard. In turn, Naruto released some of the rigid tension that was holding him up before his paranoia started acting up again.

"Why are you telling us this? I mean the part of Konoha having a better standing would have sufficed, but to let us in on your greatest strength? What would you gain by adding that," Naruto's tone was insinuating, as if he would use that information against Kabuto. However, instead of being shocked, Kabuto merely chuckled as if laughing to some inside joke. Sasuke and Sakura looked at one another perplexed while Naruto just kept his eyes trained on Kabuto, some of his old tension making its way back into him.

"Good observation Naruto, but what your insinuating is entirely false, and the reason is… because I know your type. Naruto, you are the type of person who was born into this world marked for something he had no control over, bearing the consequences of another's mistake and because of that, you are suspicious of anyone you don't trust. However, once you do learn to trust someone, that bond is strong, so strong that you find strength to do things you couldn't possibly hope to otherwise if that person is threatened."

Taken aback by Kabuto's words, no matter how casual they may seem, Naruto was concerned with how easily Kabuto had read him.

_It's like he's been there my whole life, watching it play by like a movie or something,_ Naruto paralleled before keying back into his present situation.

Kabuto suppressed a smirk as Naruto's piercing gazed flickered for a moment before returning to full power. He had apparently struck a deeper cord than he intended. Shaken from his musings, Kabuto tuned back into what was going on when Naruto asked, "How, How could you know that much about me? I hardly even know you."

"Because like you, I bear the burdens of another mistake, and I fight for those bonds like they are my only lifeline. So to be quaint Naruto, you and I are more alike than you know…," Kabuto replied, leaving his statement to hang in the air.

Naruto's eyes turned thoughtful for a second before his steely mask return. Staring deeply into Kabuto's eyes again, after a long moment Naruto lowered his hard gaze and grinned.

"Well, I guess I can trust you then Kabuto, sorry about before, a shinobi can't be too careful you know?"

"Of course, and your actions were completely understandable given your situation; and even with your initial handicap you managed to still retrieve your weapon and put up a decent fight, despite just waking up from severe chakra depletion."

"Well of course I had to give it my all, and you're no slouch yourself Kabuto-san. You still managed to get close to me regardless of my surprise attacks and use of more long range jutsu," Naruto replied joyously, happy to go over the highlights of their skirmish with his new acquaintance. The two quickly fell into a conversation of battle tactics much to the ire of the other two companions who were standing on the sidelines wondering what just happened.

Formulating a vicious plan for revenge, Sakura finished packing the collected supplies while the two continued to talk before getting the attention of all the genin around her.

"Well since Naruto's up and we've collected all the trap supplies, I guess we can be heading out then," Sakura called out, knowing exactly what would follow after.

"What!! Come on Sakura-chan, I haven't eaten yet and that trout isn't going to cook itself," Naruto yelled, breaking off his conversation with Kabuto. The silver-haired Nin just smirked when he spotted Sasuke picking up the recently deceased trout.

"Here, catch dobe!" the Uchiha cried before skewering and throwing the medium sized fish at Naruto's head. Cold scales met the side of Naruto's face once again making another wet slap, but before Naruto could even growl out an insult, a stream of fire followed after the flying fillet. Hopping to the side, Naruto watched as his breakfast turned from sushi to shish kabob, Naruto threw an angry look to Sasuke who was pretty proud of himself at the moment.

"Now that that's settled, let's move out!" Kabuto cut in before Naruto did anything rash as the three genin marched into the tower in the center of his surprisingly delicious breakfast.

The hike through the rest of the traitorous forest of death was contradictorily peacefully. Not even the Hidden Rain Team that was hiding in the foliage waiting to capture an unsuspecting team in a genjutsu slowed them down. In fact, Sakura had reversed the chakra flow of the genjutsu, causing it to turn on its creators trapping them in a never-ending fight against hundreds of reanimating clones. Once the team was beaten by their own genjutsu, Sakura calmly dispelled it before filching the Heaven scroll the team leader was holding. Afterwards, Sakura ranted a bit on a few abstract genjutsu theories she had learned from Kurenai in an attempt to explain how she did it. Unfortunately, Kabuto was the only person who understood any of it.

"Yeah, yeah Sakura-chan, we get it. Genjutsu is your specialty now and if you're not around and we have a problem with genjutsu, I could either distort the chakra with my excess chakra or Sasuke-teme could use his _Sharingan_ to control it," Naruto replied as the tower in the center of the forest came into view. Ignoring Sasuke's growl, Naruto sprinted off to the base of the tower while pulling out the Earth scroll from his shuriken pouch. Once the rest of his team arrived, Sakura pulled out the recently acquired Heaven scroll before a pair of masked Nin made their way up to the team. Naruto grabbed his bokken instinctively while Sasuke fell into a deep stance preparing his body to spring into action. The only one's who didn't make an hostile movements were Sakura, who was busy storing the scrolls in a safe place and Kabuto who was now acting as a buffer between the two teams.

Keeping his back to the pair of men, Kabuto merely raised his hand when Naruto and Sasuke started to protest before explaining the situation to the two.

"Hold on, this is my team. I told them to wait here while I backtracked through the forest," the genin stated. Relieved, Naruto lowered his guard trusting Kabuto's word and nudged Sasuke when he hadn't lightened up. Grumbling, Sasuke complied but still kept his eyes trained on the three in front of him. Sensing the Uchiha's hostility, Kabuto figured it was time for him and his team to depart.

"Well it seems that my work here is done. Hopefully we can meet in the exam sometime Naruto and finish what we started at the campsite."

Smirking at that, Naruto just nodded as Kabuto and his squad disappeared behind the tower's double doors. Looking at his team, Naruto got a simple nod from both of them before he too pushed through the door, leading his team into the tower.

Surprised by the lack of genin and instructors there, the three genin walked around the open floor looking up on the balcony in case of a surprise attack only to find that they were all alone in the room. Suspecting a genjutsu, both Naruto and Sasuke turned to Sakura who just shook her head. They were in the right place and according to Kabuto on time, but something was off…

Spotting a notice posted on the wall, Sakura began to recite the words for her teammates. The saying was obviously missing words as the saying made no sense, but before anyone could guess what it meant, Sakura peeled away the seals on the scrolls. However, before either of her teammates could say anything, a whirlwind of smoke erupted out of the two scrolls as Sakura through them to the ground.

Flaring his _Junshuu Chakra_ Naruto churned the air around him, dissipating the smoke, revealing their Academy sensei Iruka!

"Long time no see guys…," the academy teacher uttered with a genuine smile before his favorite ramen eating student tackled him.

In An Undisclosed Area…

Like always, their meetings were in secret, this time especially due to the hostile nature of the territory. Despite this, Kabuto still walked into the dark room with his head held high and his conscious devoid of guilt. Selling out someone to whom he could relate to was nothing compared to serving the man that had saved him from the unforgiving world.

"How did your surveillance go Kabuto?" Unmoved by the owner of the voice's immense killing intent, Kabuto merely pushed up his glasses before answering.

"Greater than I expected. Not only did the Uchiha assimilate the Heaven's Curse Seal without any complications, but the data I collected on the Kyuubi Jinchuriki will be useful for any future confrontations we have with him," Kabuto replied clearly, not trembling in the slightest when the man's golden eyes turned onto him.

"You have done well yet again Kabuto," the man stated, not bothering to suppress a smirk that was forming on his face.

"It is my duty to serve you, Orochimaru-sama,"

"That is what I like to hear Kabuto," Orochimaru chuckled out, leaning against the wall of stone. Despite his happy demeanor, Kabuto could tell that Orochimaru still had much to discuss with him.

"However there have been a few… 'annoyances'… that have appeared and may cause problems for my plans. I need you to abandon your place in this exam and divert your attention to the Kyuubi vessel, its power is something you should be familiar with given your 'condition'."

"You can't possibly mean he's…," Kabuto asked with slightly widened eyes before Orochimaru cut him off with a curt nod. Suppressing his surprise, Kabuto simply pushed his glasses up once again before dropping to a knee.

"Understood Orochimaru-sama," the silver haired Nin stated before Orochimaru disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The revelation of Naruto's power had slightly shocked him, but the prospect of studying such a specimen intrigued Kabuto far more than fighting in a 'Chunin' Exam.

Elsewhere Hours Later…

Standing lined up in rows, were the passing teams of the second exam, Naruto could only imagine what possibilities the third exam held. Eying his possible opponents, he noted among those teams that there were five genin Leaf Squads, one Sand squad, and one Sound Squad, which was a little surprising seeing as last time he checked, the female of the squad was lying bleeding on the ground. Despite that, Naruto and the other twenty-one genin stood tall as they looked up onto the balcony where the Hokage, as well as each teams' respective jonin, were stationed waiting for the orders of the third exam. Watching the Hokage raise, all the genin unconsciously straightened up and waited for the elder to speak.

"Proud genin from all the hidden villages, congratulations, you have made it passed the perils of the second exam. However, not all of you will make it to the third exam, as there are too many genin at this point for all the various Kages and Daimyos to watch. Therefore, we will be holding a preliminary round in order to cut the number of genin in half. Be warned though, there are no longer any teams from this point on and anyone willing to back out now will not affect their team's success rate."

Standing still, it was a wonder that any of the genin were still breathing, as they processed what they had been told. After surviving the horrors of the Forest of Death, Naruto was sure no one would quit, especially after what they had gone through…

"I, Yakushi Kabuto, forfeit,"

Controlling his impulse to yell out, Naruto bit down on his tongue almost to the point of drawing blood, all the while keeping his eyes peeled on Kabuto. Even though Kabuto explained that the attack he had sustained before the exam was continuing to ail him, Naruto knew from experience that even with that injury, he could easily go toe to toe with anyone in here.

_Something's up,_ Naruto thought to himself, but despite his suspicions, Naruto knew that he was in no place to question Kabuto's decision. Watching the boy walk out of the stadium, Naruto turned his attention back to the Hokage who was explaining the true meaning of this exam. It was a crude substitute for all out war, but knowing the extent of evil that dwelled within every individual, Naruto gladly accepted this over any other options.

_Besides it's a good way to let out stress,_ Naruto added after they were dismissed to the balconies and hearing Sasuke proclaiming that he wanted to fight him. Smirking at the thought, Naruto's heart dropped a little when Sasuke's name was called first to fight some nobody from their own village.

_The teme better not lose before I get a chance to throttle him,_ Naruto commented as the judge, Gekko Hayate prepared to begin the first match.

"You may use any techniques or tools you have at your disposal, and you may fight until your opponent is incapacitated, killed, or I call the bout. Understood?" Both contestants nodded before falling into a fighting stance.

"Begin," Hayate managed to choke out between bouts of coughs. Neither contestant waited for the other to make the first move, rushing at each other, they met at the halfway point before engaging in a round of taijutsu. Although his opponent was sluggish and very stiff in his form, Sasuke wasn't fairing much better as the pain in his shoulder spiked to crippling levels every time he placed an exertion on his body.

_It wants me to give in,_ Sasuke grounded out through the pain after Yoroi, his opponent, managed to connect with a solid punch to the jaw. Ignoring Sakura or Ino's, he couldn't which one it was, gasp, Sasuke rolled to the side, evading the heel drop aimed for his head, before coming up to a low stance. Watching Yoroi try to charge him once again, Sasuke sung his legs forward and caught Yoroi's shin with a powerful kick sending him tumbling to the ground. Hopping to his feet while digging into his shuriken pouch, Sasuke unleashed a handful of flying stars that the target deflected them all.

However, the projectiles were just a distraction as Sasuke used the opportunity to close the distance between the two and with a strained effort; he managed to place a punch to Yoroi's jaw. The blow wasn't anywhere near its usual power, due to the curse seal on his shoulder draining his energy. Momentarily immobilized by the pain, Sasuke couldn't mount much of a counter when Yoroi grabbed him by his arm before heaving him over his shoulder. Ripping his arm away before his back met the ground; Sasuke was hurled against the wall before the pain in his shoulder overwhelmed him yet again.

_Must suppress the pain, must suppress the pain,_ Sasuke chanted as he rose to his feet. His eyes remained unfocused during the whole procession and because of it, Yoroi was able to clamp down on Sasuke's head with one of his oversized hands before commencing to drain the chakra out of the writhing Uchiha. A few of Rookie Nine flinched away as Sasuke's energy was slowly drained away, but instead of losing hope in his arrogant teammate, Naruto actually decided it was time for him to do what he does best.

"Hey teme! You had better not give up, not after you made that bogus claim that you wanted to fight! So you have two options now: lose now and forever be known as a liar or get your ass in gear and come get your ass beat by me!"

All the genin, and even some of the jonin, looked over at Naruto who looked as pensive as ever. Completely ignorant to his growing audience, Naruto watched Sasuke stiffen for a moment before in one quick motion he slammed his fist against Yoroi's elbow. The joint hyper-extended before a loud crack was heard. Visibly shocked that his victim had broken his arm, Yoroi left himself wide open for Sasuke's fist that planted itself deeply in his stomach. However, unlike the last punch, this one carried the full force of the Uchiha Survivor's might and with a great exhale of breath, Yoroi doubled over in pain.

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Sasuke shut out all the vile whispers in his head in favor for one that, _Show the dobe that he will never be at my level._ Activating his ancient bloodline, Sasuke's mind formulated the perfect plan to finish the battle before Yoroi even had time to take in his first breath.

Dropping a hand to the ground, Sasuke tilted his balance backward before nailing Yoroi with the same technique Lee had nailed him with. Sasuke then focused his chakra into an unfamiliar pattern, trapped into Yoroi's shadow via the _Kage Buyou_ before throwing a looping punch to the side of Yoroi's face. Midway through the attack, Sasuke's will faltered, probably due to him losing himself in the excitement of the battle, but with crushing force Sasuke pushed down the pain and evil whispers before landing a powerful kick to Yoroi's opposite side.

The blow dug deep into his stomach, causing Yoroi to drop his guard as Sasuke slipped up above him. Bringing his fist down for a powerful backhand, Sasuke felt a few bones crack under his below, before he twisted his body into a spin. Using the momentum of his spin, Sasuke dropped his foot down on Yoroi's chest as the collided with the ground, completing the newly dubbed _Shishi Rendan_ before tumbling off his opponent.

With the adrenaline fading and no opponent to fight, Sasuke found standing up to claim his win, however, as soon as Naruto's words echoed back into the forefront of his mind, Sasuke rose to his feet without so much as a sweat before he was declared the winner.

Throwing a smug grin to Naruto, who had just looked and met his gaze with equal intensity, Sasuke's eyes darted off to Lee who stood perplexed that he mastered his technique so quickly before they landed on Kakashi, who just nodded from behind his orange book. Making his way up the stairs, Sasuke didn't have the energy to think about what he could have done better, as he always does after a battle, and instead just followed Kakashi who was leading him off to some corner of the tower to deal with his curse seal problem.

In their absence, Shino managed to defeat Zaku without much trouble, despite the fact the boy came into the area with more bandages than his partner Dosu in an attempt to get his opponent to underestimate him. Shino however was neither careless nor merciful, as he used his kikai insects to jam Zaku's airways, resulting in a build up of chakra to sever the Sound genin's arms from his body.

Following that match was another speedy match, and in a cunning display of skill, Kankuro of the Sand captured Misumi, the partner of Yoroi, with his puppet. The instrument of the Sand ensnared Misumi before he could get away and after crushing all his bones, the puppet master only stopped shy of killing his opponent on the orders of the referee. However, the names following after this match would prove to make a rather interesting battle.

Haruno Sakura vs. Yamanaka Ino

No one in the Leaf village could say they didn't know of the two girls' rivalry. However, despite its not so humble origins, both girls now seem to have more away from fighting for the heart of Uchiha Sasuke and actually formed a new rivalry. One that was to see who was the superior kunoichi, and seeing as both girls was too prideful to back down and too headstrong to try to make peace, their only option left was to settle this here.

"Begin!"

In addition, despite the fact that Hayate had managed to sound a bit more enthusiastic, neither girl noticed, as they were too busy hurling a handful of shuriken at one another. The metal stars collided with one another resulting in a loud clank that reverberated outward onto the balcony, but neither combatant noticed as the shuriken were just a ploy to give them time to complete their handseals.

Only Sakura's jutsu had a clearly visible effect as she disappeared from view completely. Even Naruto, who's _Junshuu Chakra_ sensed chakra signatures within range, couldn't sense Sakura. It was as if she destroyed all traces of her chakra in range.

_She must be blending her chakra with the natural chakra that is found everywhere,_ Naruto accessed, knowing that this technique may prove fatal, even to him. However, Ino didn't look worried in the slightest, no despite the fact the Sakura had disappeared without a trace, the only noticeable change in Ino was the fact that her eyes were glowing in a slightly lighter shade than their normal sky blue.

It was like the calm before the storm as Ino stood motionless, waiting for the oncoming attack, but when it seemed that the tension peeked, Ino whipped her arm outward. A crack was heard as the back of Ino's fist connected with something and a second afterwards, the air distorted with released chakra. Ino had nailed Sakura right on the cheek and in doing so; her chakra distorted the natural chakra in Sakura's genjutsu, breaking it down before the blossom haired girl could repair it.

"Have you forgotten about my _Omoi __Burijji_ (Mind Bridge) already, Sakura?"

Pressing her advantage, Ino spun to face Sakura quickly before throwing a handful of kunai at the girl. Sakura just side stepped the flying daggers, while backpedaling to open space between the two. Ino hesitated in giving chase, knowing that Sakura may have easily set a genjutsu trap while she was invisible and instead attempted to take a round about approach to Sakura.

Seeing her blonde rival try to come around to her side of the field, Sakura began to circle Ino as well, and like two lionesses prepared for battle, the girls stalked onto another in an ever-tightening circle. Never breaking, both girls pivoted and turned toward each other in perfect synch before meeting to do battle in hand to hand combat. Ino having been paired with two capture specialists for genin teammates as well as having a commander that specializes in armed combat, only supplemented her own capturing abilities making her taijutsu superior to Sakura's taijutsu. However, due to Sakura's training with Hinata and Haku, she had developed a bit to taijutsu on her own, and despite the fact that she had lost in the forest, the key factor in that defeat was the fact she was exhausted from using such a high-class genjutsu. Now she had no such inhibitors and because of it; she could use her chakra to perform the taijutsu form she had been studying.

Slipping to the side of Ino's kunai tip, which she was using like a makeshift trench knife, Sakura focused completing the set of handseals she started before funneling her chakra into her palm making the appendage glow a faint blue. Remembering all the time she spent trying to perfect the technique, Sakura hoped that her practice would pay off and for once the technique wouldn't fizzle out as she uses it. Dipping to the side of Ino's kunai swipe, Sakura felt the tip of the blade dig into her cheek as she pushed her chakra coated hand into Ino's chest.

Luckily her control didn't falter in the slightest causing the blow to Ino's stomach to not only knock the wind out of the blonde, but it also sent a slight electrical discharge through her body. The technique was based off the teachings the legendary Slug Sanin, Tsunade, and was a pain to try to get down because of the chakra control it required. Sakura slaved over perfecting the technique for weeks and made little headway, even her element alignment was Lightning unlike Tsunade's, whose natural elemental alignment was Earth. Strange as it may seem, the element did suit her, seeing as it was as ever changing as her personas, but the jutsu was still almost impossible to master. The reason behind this is because unlike Tsunade, who used a specific set of handseals to convert her earth chakra to lightning chakra, Sakura's chakra did that naturally making it so the handseals of the famous _Ranshinsho_ (Important Body Points Disturbance) amplified the conversion of chakra and making the jutsu as damaging to her as it was to her opponent.

Despite this, Sakura managed to thrive in the sink or swim situation, and created a proper buffer for the technique within the heat of battle. Following the shocking blow with a crushing hand to the chin, Ino was knocked back and into the air. However, even though Ino was having spasms due to the shock from the electrical discharge, she still managed to tuck herself into a tight ball and land safely onto a knee. Seeing an opening, Sakura reduced the flow of chakra to her hands, as it was becoming noticeably taxing on her reserves, before flinging two kunai at Ino. Seeing the blonde's abnormally shining blue eyes glow even brighter, the two kunai stopped harmlessly in mid air. The spectacular captured everyone's attention, even the Hokage's, as nothing like this has ever happened before.

"How in the…,"

"You haven't been the only one learning new things Sakura. I guess I should thank my lazy teammate for inspiring this ability, although I doubted I would have to use it on you. This is my _Naiteki Haji _(Mental Grasp)," Ino cut in answering Sakura's question before she asked it. Rising to her feet, Ino knew from the way some of her fellow genin gasped that they could see that her eyes were burning in a bright ethereal blue. It didn't matter to her though, seeing as she doubted any of the genin would be able to counter her mind reading powers as well as 'this'. Focusing solely on Sakura, Ino could feel the technique burning through her reserves like wildfire. Smirking at the girl, Ino got the feeling, through the empathic link of the _Omoi __Burijji_, that Sakura knew that this would be the conclusion of the battle.

Probing Sakura's mind with the _Omoi __Burijji_ again Ino only hit the solid wall of her split personality before pulling back. _She's only vulnerable when she's focusing on a genjutsu, other than that she's the perfect counter for my abilities,_ Ino thought happy that she picked a rival that perfect. Whirling the floating kunai around with her telekinesis jutsu Ino fired the two chakra charged kunai back at Sakura. The pink haired girl stood her ground as she flitted through the handseals for her strongest genjutsu. The two kunai didn't even nick her arms before she disappeared while whispering, "_Magen: Jubaku Satsu_ (Demonic Illusion: Tree Bind Death)."

Increasing her realm of influence, Ino scanned the area with her mind for Sakura's consciousness. From the stands, Asuma just closed his eyes before lighting a cigarette.

"Its over, your apprentice won't be able to counter Ino like this."

"Don't be so sure, I know Sakura, and she isn't one to make the same mistake twice," Kurenai countered, her piercing red eyes never leaving the stadium floor. Almost instantaneously after Sakura unleashed her jutsu, Ino was ensnared in the tangled mess of roots of an oddly out of place tree. Bound tightly, Ino just closed her eyes for a moment in an attempt to close one sense off from the genjutsu. While her eyes were closed, Sakura bloomed from the tree's trunk with a kunai gripped, ready to move it to Ino's neck so the referee would call the match.

Springing into action, Ino grabbed one of the various kunai spread across the floor with her mind before moving it to defend herself from Sakura's back attack. The two kunai met in a stalemate before Ino lifted the rest of the scattered kunai in the air before bombarding Sakura with them from all sides. The bladed steel didn't even touch Sakura and instead buried themselves into the tree revealing it to be an elaborated placed _Kawarimi_.Controlling her shock, Ino just scanned the area with her mind before she found the loophole she had overlooked. Having neither the time nor the chakra, Ino just twisted her body around and threw a punch carrying all her strength and chakra at an unseen target.

Her blow apparently hit something because a loud slam emitted throughout the arena, however Ino wasn't the only one to land a punch as Sakura, who could now be seen through the fading genjutsu, had also landed a haymaker on Ino's chin as well. The two girls utterly exhausted managed to K.O. one another ending the match in a draw.

Up in the stands Asuma stood dumbstruck. _There's just no way Ino could have been fooled like that. I've seen the workings of that technique, it reads minds and manipulates matter as well, and there is no way Ino could have lost unless she ran out of chakra!_ Despite his denial, Asuma teleported down to the stadium floor, and along with Kakashi, retrieved his ward without so much as a word to his fellow jonin. Upon his return, he set Ino down gently against the wall knowing she would only need a bit of rest before she would be back up to her normal, exultant self; giving him just enough time to ask an expert on what just happened.

"Sakura used a _Gattai genjutsu_, which are not only extremely hard to conjure and control but are also very taxing on one's chakra reserves. However the reason that was effective against Ino was because Sakura knew Ino would be able to read through any one genjutsu at a time by searching for her consciousness, so anticipating that Sakura wove _two_ genjutsu ensnaring Ino in the second so she would have enough time to get pass her defensive grid and attack. Although, I will say I am surprised Ino caught on so quickly, that alone is the reason she was able to tie this match, otherwise Sakura would have won hands down," Kurenai answered. Asuma just stood and absorbed what he heard before chuckling. Raising an eyebrow, Kurenai just looked at the rugged man as his light outburst subsided.

"I guess I overestimated my student a little bit, hopefully we both can learn from this," Asuma said in his defense, knowing full well that Kurenai was demanding an explanation even though she hadn't vocalized it. Deciding not to worry about _why_ he knew that, Asuma just turned his attention to the electronic bulletin board. The names of a Leaf and Sand kunoichi appeared on the board, and silently both Tenten and Temari made their way down to the arena.

The match was brutal and short proving that no shinobi, no matter how talented, could afford to be one dimensional like Tenten was. Temari's manipulation over air trumped any and all weapon attacks that Tenten tried and despite the fact that Tenten had more stamina than Temari, the fact was she couldn't use any of it for anything other than avoiding the blonde's constant wind attacks.

As the match grew to a close, Naruto shot a glance over to Tenten's sensei when the man's chakra spiked. At first glance, it would seem like he was perfectly fine and completely composed, but if the viewer stuck around for a longer look they would notice that Gai was tense, his hands were clenched, and his chakra was flaring erratically, as if he were trying to suppress it. Looking back down on the arena, Naruto instantly figured out why he was like that, his student had been defeated and humiliated at that. However, his demeanor changed slightly when his carbon copy, the one responsible for Sasuke's first defeat and first victory of the Chunin Exam, caught his teammate in an impressive display of speed and coordination.

_Even with weights he's that fast! I'll need to watch out for him in the exam,_ Naruto noted recalling that neither of them went yet.

Inuzuka Kiba vs. Uzumaki Naruto

_Well I guess I won't have to worry about bushy brows anytime soon,_ Naruto mussed as he and his opponent made their way down to the stage floor.

"Looks we got lucky Akamaru, fighting someone whose moves we already know," Kiba boasted as his canine companion barked in agreement. Suppressing the urge to smirk, Naruto instead looked forward to seeing Kiba's face when he showed what he had learned over the past few months.

"You really think I haven't grown at all Kiba?" Naruto questioned condescendingly.

"Begin," Hayate announced, before breaking down into a fit of coughs. Kiba broke out into a run once the proctor's hand moved out the way, all the while focusing his chakra into a familiar jutsu.

"Why you, _Shikyaku no Jutsu_!!" Kiba roared loudly as chakra permeated from every pore in his body. Breaking down onto all fours Kiba got a suddenly and surprising speed boost that caught Naruto unprepared. Instantly, the blonde's _Junshuu Chakra_ flared protectively creating a swirling mass of chakra in front of Naruto. The buffer, although unseen to the untrained eye, took a substantial amount of force from Kiba's blitz, which saved Naruto from the full force of the blow. However, the attack was still strong enough to knock his katana from his hand and send him careening back into the concrete walls that surround the stadium. A thin veil of concrete dust erupted outward on contact hovering over Naruto's unmoving presence.

"He won't be getting up for a while so just call the…,"

"What and save you from getting whipped like the dog you are in front of all our classmates Kiba? I think not!" Naruto cried from the debris, before leaping from behind the clearing dust. Without his sword, he was forced to fall back on his taijutsu, so instead of coming down with a powerful aerial slash, Naruto instead cocked his fist back before firing off a burst of chakra from his fist. The attack looked completely off to his genin teammates and it wasn't until an explosion of concrete set off directly in arc of Naruto's punch that the genin saw what he had planned.

Revelation immediately dawned on the jonin in the stands and each, despite their disbelief, all concluded that Naruto had somehow refined his chakra control enough to manipulate a wave of chakra to follow every one of his blows. Kurenai who had just predicted Kiba to be the winner easily was shocked at the development.

"You shouldn't be so shocked that he was able to do something like that, because he's already shown he's able to do much more complicated," Asuma stated before pointing down to the spot where Naruto collided with wall. Instead of massive chunks of concrete on the ground like there should have been, instead there was a light groove as if someone had taken sandpaper to the wall and rubbed it in aggressive circles. Seeing the slightly surprised look on her face, Asuma lit another cigarette before starting to explain further,

"I'm surprised you didn't notice it at first, seeing as how strange the crash was. I mean even though dust is expected to come up from a collision like that, but for _that_ much to come up without an apparent jutsu was fishy. Plus the boy's reaction to Kiba's first attack was very strange, he didn't even wince and despite our experience, even a jonin like Gai would at least grimace at a blow like that," Asuma carried on, pointing out a few facts he picked up form the beginning of the battle.

"My guess is that what he's doing now is just a simpler manipulation of the two shields he used to block out most of your student's attack as well as wear a groove in the wall to avoid further damage," Asuma concluded before taking a long hit from his cigarette. Exhaling the smoke from his month so that it wouldn't cloud his vision, Asuma watched Naruto and Kiba trade blows with no definite dominator in the battle.

Noting that Naruto's stance and movements were jerky, as testament to its scarce use, Asuma watched as Naruto took a devastating hit to the face without so much as batting an eye before retaliating with twice as much force.

"Although I would give up smoking for a month if I could just figure out how he was doing it," Asuma added before taking another long drag, effectively burning out the cigarette.

"He's using what he calls his _Junshuu_ _Chakra_, and he's had it's for as long as I can remember. He said it was like he was in control of the chakra that naturally overflowed from his body, what that means it is that he's able to manipulate it so that it can create optical illusions as well add a bit of extra punch to his taijutsu," a totally immersed Hyuuga Hinata added without even looking up from the fight.

"And what might that be?" Asuma asked, and just like the young Hyuuga Heir was to wrap up her explanation, the match was also starting to wind down.

"He calls it his _Kenchoken_, and instead of me trying to explain it to you just look down your about to get a live demonstration of it," Hinata answered while pointing to the center of the stadium.

Slightly amused by the Hyuuga's abnormal attitude, Asuma just handed his pack of cigarettes to Kurenai as the woman whispered, "I owe you Hinata-chan," to her student. With that, everyone's attention was firmly focused on the arena below.

Naruto wiped the blood away from the corner of his month after being hit with another high shoulder tackle before falling into the stance.

_It's been so long, luckily I got a refresher course with Kabuto earlier,'_ Naruto thought before going into a deep stance with both arms raised and in front of him. The only thing that differed from his stance and the Hyuuga's ready stance was the fact that he had his fists closed and his postured tilted to the side, opposed to the Hyuuga's full front and forward.

"Are you trying to imitate the Hyuuga now? Well I hope for your sake that you can actually do something with it or this will be easier than I thought," Kiba huffed before charging head first with his _Shikyaku no Jutsu_. Scanning Kiba's approach with his _Junshuu Chakra_, Naruto easily predicted the dog shinobi's path of attack before spinning off to the side, leaving a _Junshuu Chakra_ produced afterimage for Kiba to hit. Adding the rotation force of his spin to a corkscrew punch, Naruto's fist twisted into Kiba's face before blasting him off to the side with a burst of spinning chakra. The blast sent Kiba hurtling into the concrete walls, where a thin veil of cement dust covered him from view. Falling back into the basic _Kenchoken_ stance, Naruto waited for Kiba to come at him, ready to counter anything and everything the Inuzuka could throw at him or so he thought.

"_Tsuga_ (Piercing Fang)!!" the canine ninja roared before whipping his body into a whirling torpedo, the cement dust went flying in every direction as Kiba plowed through the rubble around him, charging directly for Naruto. Reading the path of attack once again, Naruto spun off to the side and prepared to repeat the last charge when Kiba changed course at the last second, tearing into Naruto's side.

Landing in an ungraceful heap, Naruto struggled to push down the pain that his _Junshuu Chakra_ had not been able to absorb the spinning force from Kiba's blow. Hearing the hum that accompanied the piercing fang die down, Naruto turned around to see Kiba grinning at him like a wild dog.

"You've met the end of my _Tsuga_, and guess what? It gets worse, because I can do this all day dobe," Kiba taunted, taking the nickname Sasuke made up for Naruto to use against him. It was a bad idea; since all of the blonde's doubt fled from his mind and one thought replaced them, which was teach this dog some manners.

Climbing to his feet Naruto fell back into stance, prompting Kiba to initiate another _Tsuga_. Calculating its path once again, Naruto didn't take any chances this time and instead of just spinning off, he bounded off to the side while filling his pentacle with chakra. As predicted, Kiba's arc changed to accommodate Naruto's dodge. When the head of the tornado turned completely around, it met face to face with Naruto's fist.

"_Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_!!" Naruto cried loudly when his fist connected with the apex of the drill. The two battering rams collided, kicking up any loose dust on the floor as well as some small debris. Having stepped into the punch, Naruto was at a tactically advantage as he caught Kiba after he turned, neutralizing any speed the bestial shinobi may have accumulated. However, the constant spinning of Kiba's drilling maneuver made it hard to make solid contact. In the end, his advantage wasn't enough as his power punch only deflected Kiba's jutsu. Landing on the opposite side of the stadium without nailing Naruto again, Kiba's smirk was long gone and in its wake was an impressive scowl.

"Akamaru, let's go!" Kiba barked to his dog causing the canine to howl as well before it ingested a small red pill. The effects of the drug appeared instantly and Akamaru's coat went from a dingy tan to a fierce crimson. Weary of the change, Naruto raised his guard a bit more, while Kiba went prepared another jutsu.

"_Jujin Bunshin_ (Beast Human Technique)!!" Kiba cried as Akamaru hopped on his head before an eruption of smoke clouded them from view. Before anyone, including Naruto, knew what was going on, within the smoke, a loud cry came out before two voice cheered out in unity, "_Gatsuga_ (Double Piercing Fang)!!"

From the smoke, two tornados came howling loudly as they cut through the air aiming directly for Naruto. Sidestepping the first, Naruto charged his fist full of chakra to meet the second with a _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_ whilst stepping into the blow like last time. Once again, there was a stalemate, but unlike last time another howling tornado was coming in from behind Naruto.

_I've never been able to focus two separate Chakra Shokkou at once, I guess it's now or never,_ Naruto pondered before twisting his body while brushing his free hand up against his necklace. Charged with the pentacle's power, Naruto constructed another star of chakra before distributing its power into the _Tate_ formation. Proud of the evident shock he had put the audience in, Naruto moved to the offensive, not willing to let Kiba get away unscratched. Ripping his fist anyway from the first Kiba twister, Naruto opened a path for the torpedo to go flying off towards the wall while he focused his attention on the second tornado.

Using the rotation force he had accumulated by turning his body away from the first Kiba, Naruto redirected the power of the _Tate_ formation into another _Dageki_ while at the same time landing a corkscrew punch with his first _Dageki_ punch. The swirling charka around his fist was the exact opposite of the lone _Gatsuga_, resulting in a loud, raking sound similar to that of a kunai begin dragged across a blackboard. However, Naruto wasn't done yet, _Now that the rotation has slowed I can get a clean hit in!_ Naruto realized before cocking back his second fist.

"_Chakra Shokkou: Nishougeki _(Chakra Weaver: Double Impact)!!" the blonde cried as his second fist land almost instantly after his first. Breaking through the drill head, Naruto nailed the shinobi inside with a powerful haymaker, sending him on a crash course with the wall behind him. The Inuzuka hit the wall with a groan before he was enveloped in smoke revealing the Kiba to be Akamaru. Seeing his closest friend lay limp on the ground caused all the blood to rush to Kiba's head.

"NA-RU-TO!!" the teen roared before throwing himself at the blonde recklessly. Not even bothering to fall into stance as the rampaging shinobi raced toward him, Naruto instead formed the seals for his _Taishou Bunshin_ whilst feeding it his via plan their mental link.

"I've got you!" Kiba yelled before swinging at Naruto with his lengthened claws. Bringing both his arms up, Naruto blocked both of Kiba's arms with his forearm, visibly straining to hold the rage-empowered warrior down. However, before Kiba could overcome Naruto with pure strength, the blonde's clone slipped under him and in a déjà-vu sort of scenario, planted a rising kick onto his chin. Being lifted off into the air, much as Yoroi had before him, Kiba's instinct kicked in, and unlike Yoroi, he shifted his weight down in an attempt to stay on the ground. However, by doing this, he released the pressure that was binding Naruto's arms, opening himself up for Naruto's _Dageki_.

The power blow sent him flying but without an immediate follow through Kiba was able to shift his body into a defensive position. Unfortunately, he had not accounted on the _Taishou Bunshin _to fire a _Kuukigiri_ at him, and taking the blast of blunt air power headfirst, Kiba's head snapped back, forcing him to look at Naruto who was hovering above him with his bokken in hand and a wide smirk on his face.

"Now let's end this! _Kaze Rendan _(Wind Barrage)!!"

Falling down on his opponent with a powerful overhead slash, Naruto landed gracefully on the ground and sheathed his sword as his combo ended with a _Kaze no Doki,_ which was tearing a suspended Kiba apart above him. Once Kiba's defeated body hit the ground, Hayate called the match as well as a stretcher as Naruto made his way up to the balcony. No cheers were heard, as silence was the only answer Naruto got for his accomplishment, but it was expected. He had beaten one of the top all-round genin of his year even though he was the failure of the class.

Taking his place beside his team, Naruto just took his congratulations from an overzealous Rock Lee and a slightly distracted Hinata before looking up at the bulletin board for the next pair of names.

Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji

"This isn't good…," was the only thing Naruto could say before the two Hyuugas took the stage.

Read and Review

That wraps about half of the preliminaries, I'm sorry if I that I didn't highlight all the fights but to me I saw that some of them were fine the way they were, and besides the one's I did highlight got a few major changes to them. As for next chapter, I don't know how soon I'll be able to put it up (I plan to update Fate's Rewrite next, but sometimes things change), but I can tell you that by the end of the Chunin Exam you will either hate me for what happens or love me for this HUGE change. Anyways on another note, I regret to inform you that Stigma will be taking a bit of a Hiatus after its next chapter. (I couldn't go on strike before telling you all what the Stigma is exactly), and the reason being that is despite all my inspiration for it (you should see my Stigma note book), the will to write for that fic pales in comparison for my will to write for this or Fate's Rewrite. (This is my favorite fic, despite the fact it has the least amount of reviews between the three). Therefore, after Stigma's next update, please don't bug me on what I am updating next, because the truth being I probably won't update until either a huge burst of inspiration strikes me or, and this is much more likely, I finish the Chunin Exam with Fate's Rewrite or the Tsunade as Hokage arc in DOAD, which ever comes first.

Jutsu Logue:

_Shosen no Jutsu_/ Mystic Palm Technique

This jutsu is a multi-purpose medical technique used by medic-nin to heal wounds and perform surgery. For the former, the user concentrates chakra to their hand and applies it to a wound, speeding up cell regeneration. For the latter, the user focuses their chakra into a blade to make cuts where necessary. Because it is done with chakra, the user doesn't need to cut through their target's skin to reach muscles and organs. For this to be applied effectively in healing, a large amount of chakra is required. Using it to cut seems to be less chakra-intensive. This cutting aspect of this jutsu can also be used in combat, though it requires incredible precision on the user's part to be effective. (wiki)

_Kage Buyou_/ Shadow of the Dancing Leaf

While the target is airborne, the user jumps in such a way as to appear below the target while following a similar trajectory through the air. Since the victim is airborne, he is in a vulnerable position to a more damaging attack. (wiki)

_Shishi Rendan_/ Lion's Barrage

This jutsu is a variant of Rock Lee's Front Lotus, which Sasuke develops after using his Sharingan to copy the first part of the move. Because Lee wasn't given the chance to finish the attack, Sasuke makes his own ending to it.

Like Lee, Sasuke gets to the point where he does Shadow of the Dancing Leaf to get behind an airborne opponent. Afterwards, his is different. He starts with a kick to the left side of his opponent (the easiest part to block). From there he does a backhand strike to the face, one straight punch to the gut to send the opponent towards the ground and finishes with a spinning kick that lands his left heel on the center of the opponent just as they both hit the ground. Sasuke tends to use different moves each time he does this technique, though the ending is always a kick to the chest. (wiki)

_Ranshinsho_/ Important Body Points Disturbance

By converting a small amount of chakra into electricity and hitting her opponent's brain stem, Tsunade can disrupt the regular flow of electrical signals from the target's brain to other parts of the target's body. For example, if the target tried to move their right arm, their left leg would move instead. (wiki)

_Naiteki Haji_/ Mental Grasp

An original technique created by Yamanaka Ino, which was based off of the Nara's shadow possession techniques, to be used in conjunction with the _Omoi Burijji_, Ino emits a field of chakra similar to that of Naruto's _Junshuu Chakra_ where she can control matter such as kunai or shuriken with her mind via chakra. When used along side the _Omoi Burijji_, Ino can detect almost any opponent in her defense grid and take care of them before they can even get close to her. However, as stated by her sensei, the only downfall to this technique is that its chakra requirements are massive and Ino cannot sustain it for more than a few moments before she has to break the jutsu molding. The only known person to find a gap in the jutsu was Haruno Sakura, who used a _Gattai genjutsu_ to trick Ino into dropping her guard, but other than that, the jutsu remains undefeated.

_Shikyaku no Jutsu_/ Four Legs Technique

This technique gives some increase of strength and speed to the user, as well as lengthening their nails into claws. Travel in this mode is somewhat akin to a dog's fast run. Users of this technique also tend to act feral when using it. (wiki)

_Tsuga_/ Piercing Fang

The user spins at a ferocious speed and delivers many powerful beastlike attacks when contact is made with the target. This attack can be done with a partner, making it more effective. (wiki)

_Jujin Bunshin_/ Beast Human Clone

A modified version of a transformation technique, this jutsu allows a user to transform their animal companion into a perfect copy of themselves. When combined with the Four Legs Technique, the user and the animal become virtually impossible to tell apart, since both act equally animalistic. This jutsu is often followed by the Double Piercing Fang. (wiki)

_Gatsuga_/ Double Piercing Fang

The user and his partner spin at a ferocious speed and deliver many powerful beast-like attacks when contact is made with the target. The force of this attack is strong enough to drill through stone. This attack can be done alone, although it is less effective. (wiki)

_Chakra Shokkou: Nishougeki_/ Chakra Weaver: Double Impact

An original technique that uses the Chakra weaver formation on both hands to land to blows almost instantly after one another, with the first blow slowing the enemy down to a stop with its corkscrewing movements before the second blows lands to blow the enemy away.

_Kaze Rendan_/ Wind Barrage

With the help of a clone (preferably a boss clone) Naruto immobilizes his enemy (in Kiba's case, blocks his attack), before his clone slips under him and plants a kick to the person's chin. From there, two things can happen: the opponent goes into shock and be hit by Naruto's follow up _Chakra Shokkou: Dageki_ or if they rely on their instincts try to keep themselves planted on the ground and be hit with Naruto's _Dageki_ anyway. However, once in the air, the opponent is then bombarded with a blunt _Kuukigiri_ where they are hit form above with a _Kaze no Doki_ to end the combo, leaving them suspended in mid air being torn above by a sword created vacuum.

Black Saint


	14. Family Ties

"": Spoken

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts _

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know, I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

**Note: Please If I referred to Namikaze Minato as Arashi Kazama previously, I'm changing the name, so if you could please look over that small fact thank you. **

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji

"This isn't good…," was the only thing Naruto could say before the two Hyuugas took the stage.

Chapter 14: Family Ties

Both combatants stood face to face, completely absorbed in the typical Hyuuga air of supremacy. Staring cockily at his, now _confident_ cousin, Neji let a smirk slide on his face when Hayate signaled the start of the match.

"You should give up Hinata-sama, you know you are no match for me," Neji called out confidently as he slid into the Hakke stance. Hinata stood ramrod straight, provoking Neji to taunt her again.

"You should stop being a ninja altogether. It will only end badly for you, and besides could you live with yourself, if your ineptitude cost the clan its honor, or worse, our birthright?" Neji asked fully intent on cutting the girl down.

"No, I couldn't live with myself… that's why I'll make sure to prove right here and now that I am worthy of the title Heiress to the Hyuuga Clan," Hinata stated boldly, wiping the smug smile right off Neji's face. The pale boy charged recklessly, not even bothering to turn his _Byakugan _on as he closed in for the strike. Only when his arm was half way extended did he turn on the all-seeing eyes, only to find out that the Hinata he had been attacking was a simple Bunshin.

Driving his hand through the projection of chakra, Neji wondered when Hinata had the time to do the handseals for Bunshin right in front of him, or the several dozen that were now filling his eyesight.

"You look confused Neji-ni-san, maybe if you weren't so sure that I would crumble at a few harsh words and get so hotheaded when I tell you off, then you'd realize that my teacher is Konoha's genjutsu mistress," one of Hinata's Bunshin told Neji, causing an angry vein to pop up on the teen's forehead.

Driving his hand through yet another clone, Neji was slowly getting increasingly frustrated as he only hit clones repeatedly. Even his _Byakugan,_ which normally could tell a Bunshin apart from the real thing, was starting to get confused by the layers of chakra projections constantly in its vision.

Neji let out a howl of frustration when his palm collided with yet another projection, when Hinata popped out from under the ground, scoring a tight hit on the boy's chin. Although none of the targets was for any tenketsu, the chakra behind it was more than enough to send Neji airborne, where he was then forced to use more of his chakra to regain his balance. Wiping the blood off his chin when he landed, Neji shot an angry glare at Hinata, who was just standing in place ready to continue.

Neji rushed forward again confident that she wasn't a Bunshin, but as his palm connected with Hinata his palm fell through her form yet again, only this time, the Hyuuga Heiress followed up with a straight punch to the face from the side. The blow knocked Neji, who had caught the whole thing in the peripherals of his Byakugan, sideways.

"How in the hell?!" the boy asked, for once losing his air of supremacy and looked completely confused.

"Simple, ever since I graduated from the academy, I have been working on genjutsu with Kurenai-sensei to better round myself out on the battlefield. As a result of this, I developed a whole new branch of _Jyuuken_ which I like to call _Hakke Shinkirou _(Eight Trigrams Mirage)," Hinata stated before charging forward. Weaving through Neji's blows like a choreographed dance, Hinata's Bunshin took the blunt of the blows while the girl delivered a sound beating to her cousin while not once ever resorting to Jyuuken.

Ending her barrage with a low sweep, Hinata knocked Neji sideways before slamming all ten of her _Jyuutesaki_ (Gentle Fingers) charged fingers into Neji's stomach, sealing off ten separate tenketsu at once. The boy bounced off the wall with a sick thud before lading on the solid concrete in a graceless form. Slowly, the boy dragged himself to his feet, and Neji threw all thoughts of slowly cutting his cousin down out of his mind and focused on utterly crushing her for pushing him this far.

Sinking low into the Hyuuga's famed stance of the Hakke, Neji initiated a deadly dance of advanced _Jyuuken_ with the clan's heiress, pushing them both to the brink. Jabs, swipes, and thrusts went back and forth between both sides, neither scoring more than a glancing blow, and despite how impressive it looked, the destruction the bursts of chakra were having on the arena around dispelled any notion that either side was kidding.

Slamming her foot into her cousin's torso, Hinata sent Neji flying towards the arena walls, but the Hyuuga prodigy quickly recovered and managed to stick himself to the wall whilst firing off a _Hakke Kusho _burst as a counter attack. The beam of chakra reached Hinata before she could react and sent her flying into the arena walls as well. Sticking to the wall as gracefully as her cousin had, Hinata peered up at the boy while readying herself for the next round of combat.

Springing into the air at the exact same time as Neji, Hinata and her cousin clashed once in mid air before rebounding off the wall to start again. The game of touch and go lasted several rounds and slowly the battle in the air shifted into Hinata's favor. Her feminine grace and lithe build gave her incredible agility, which in the air was everything, so while Neji's was stronger, his blows were never more than a glancing swipe as the two played tit for tat in mid air.

Growing tired of the game, Neji filled all his tenketsu with chakra before releasing it all at once in a mid air _Kaiten_ and in one fell swoop, Neji turned the tides of the battle to his favor. Now not only did a wall of spinning chakra protect Neji, but was now an imposing wall of destruction quickly closing in on Hinata's airborne form.

Acting instinctively, Hinata chose not to confront Neji head on with her own _Kaiten_, but instead used her own _Hakke Kusho_ to propel herself to the side and out of the way of Neji's flying chakra fortress. Her plan worked, and Hinata was now in position for a huge counter attack. Rebounding off the wall once again, this time aided with a _Hakke Kusho _'push', Hinata flew towards Neji's recovering form with twice her normal speed. Twisting her body into a _Kaiten,_ Hinata's wall of defense quickly transformed into an orb of destruction when Hinata's built up inertia taking her on a path to Neji's defenseless form.

Crashing into the ground below her, Hinata's impact destroyed all the stone tiles under her as well as uplifted the entire tiles surround the epicenter of the crash within ten feet. Her peers looked on in awe as she stood in the center of the ring, panting slightly looking side to side with her _Byakugan_ activated in hopes of keeping Neji out of her blind spot. Yes, she knew her cousin survived that last technique, because just before impact, she felt a strong push of chakra cushion her impact as well as another cylindrical force slid out from between her _Kaiten_ and the ground below.

From those two forces she felt and from what she could see from her blurred _Byakugan_ at the time was that Neji had somehow used the _Hakke Kusho_ to slow her descent onto him by a split second. This gave him just enough to time to create another one with his free hand to propel him to the side while spinning his body into a _Kaiten_.

_He effectively used three high level Jyuuken techniques all in rapid secession of one another, and quite possibly created a new technique all together. Neji is the strongest the Hyuuga has to offer that much is clear; however, I cannot lose here! Not in front of him…,_ Hinata concluded as the dust from her impact cleared and her cousin came into view.

His escape tactic, although not as subtle as the traditional _Kawarimi,_ had done its job and then some, and left Neji completely unharmed from Hinata's fierce attack.

"That was a grave mistake Hinata-sama," Neji whispered just loud enough for the Heiress to hear.

"And why is that Neji?!"

"Because you have forced me to show you and all of those around us why the Branch house is superior to the Main House, and for once daddy isn't here to save you!" Neji shouted before falling into an unusually Hakke stance. Hinata was unfazed by the boy's stance but instead tried to assess what it could possibly be used for mentally.

_Okay his feet are placed close together almost as if he is going to launch himself at me, instead of closing the distance with quick confusing movements like a normal Hakke technique. In addition, his arms are both fanned out behind him like a bird preparing to take flight! That's it!_ However, as soon as Hinata figured out what he was about to do, Neji was already announcing his new technique.

"_Hakke: Furitori no Furaito_ (Free Bird's Flight)!"

Neji's shot off at Hinata like a bullet, using both of his hand to push off the ground with twin _Hakke Kusho_ while twisting himself into a _Kaiten_. The normal spherical technique became more deadly since it turned Neji into a flying drill not unlike Kiba's _Tsuga_. However, unlike Kiba's technique, this technique was a giant flying _Jyuuken _strike as well.

"_Hakke: Jinsoku Chouin_ _Sho_ (Eight Trigrams: Swift Sealing Palm)!" Hinata yelled out, hoping to counter Neji's newest technique with her strongest technique. Firing attacking blasts of chakra at the arrow of destruction, Hinata felt her reserves dwindle as Neji got closer and despite her headway in slowing down his attack, there was no way she would be able to stop, it much less win the match if she didn't manage to hit Neji while he spun.

_I__ have enough strength for one more shot,_ Hinata figured as her strength failed her. Taking aim, she saw that if she added a spin to her shot in the same direction as Neji was spinning it would be able to pierce through a hole in Neji's defenses. However, before she fired off her last shot, she noticed the hole created would land on top of his heart after spinning around in the _Jyuuken_ arrow he had created.

_A fatal place to hit with Jyuuken,_ Hinata noted to herself as she stayed her blow and took Neji's attack full force to the chest. The shock of the Jyuuken strike broke her ribs and forced blood from her punctured lung up into her mouth, before she fell to her knees lifeless. The crowd gave a horrified gasp at the sight, none of them believing that her own kin could be so heartless.

"See, I told you Hinata-sama you should have quit while you were ahead. The match was pre-destined to be in my favor, and although you showed skills I could not foresee; they were useless in the face of Fate," Neji stated cockily as he lay on one knee panting from overexertion. Forcing his exhausted body to stand, he returned to his usual smug self while looking down on his injured cousin. However, instead of breaking his cousin, his smile only provoked an aura of irritation and deep pity from her.

"You don't get it, do you? What do you think this hatred for the Main House will get you? Vengeance for your father's sacrifice?! He was my uncle too, I miss him so much, especially after losing mother as well, but you seem to have your head so far up your ass that you can't even see that others around you are hurting just as much!" Hinata said, rebuking her cousin's behavior. Unfortunately, her words although barely above a whisper due to her deflated lung, struck Neji harder than even the most well aimed _Jyuuken_ blow.

"You say you're hurting?! I'll show you true pain!!" Neji retorted loudly, shocking all the Konoha residents around once again by charging at his defenseless cousin. The deadly _Jyuuken_ blow was aimed for the crown of Hinata's head, the control point for all chakra, and if hit by a _Jyuuken _shot was guaranteed to cause, great pain and probably kill the victim.

Fortunately, Hinata's friends above had fast reaction times and were able to reach her before the prodigal Hyuuga below them. Standing imposingly in a plume of rising smoke, Kimimaro stood before Neji with a bone dagger gripped tightly in his right hand pointed eye level with the pale Hyuuga and left hand crackling madly with surging chakra.

"I _would advise_ against that Hyuuga," Kimimaro stated coldly. Although his words were stated in the same monotone, they were frigid enough to freeze even the strongest of Sasuke's Katon jutsu. Neji, who was trained in the art of intimidation and dickheadedness, wasn't fazed in the slightest.

"And why is that? Is it because the Main Branch will have a fit? Better yet, is it because you think you can beat me? However, _I__ would advise_ that you don't try and fight me, I am the greatest taijutsu specialist in my age division, and as you can see, this match only proves that point," Neji said, throwing back Kimimaro's words in his face while at the same time insulting his green wearing teammate.

"No, because I'm the only one stopping him from killing you," Kimimaro replied rather smugly before shifting his head to the side for Neji to catch an eyeful of Naruto's glowing form. The pressure from his chakra was crushing, and even though Neji's didn't have his _Byakugan_ activated, he knew that there was far more chakra coming out of the boy than he had ever seen come out of any of the adults around him.

_What the hell is he?!_ Neji asked himself and for once in his life, his ever-present confidence was starting to fade.

Naruto's barely restrained fury was only being quelled by two things: one being Haku's calming ocean like aura, and the other being the fact that he would get a chance to rip Neji a new one in the presence of hundreds, given that the finals weren't held immediately after this.

_And even if that's true, tearing him a new one for all of our friends and enemies to see will be almost as satisfying,_ Naruto thought to himself. However, he did not know that he had tapped into his darker half's chakra and the white around his eyes began to bleed red as they tainted his irises turning the blonde cerulean blue orbs a deep maroon.

However, luck saved Neji from pissing his pants when a timid medic and Haku showed up behind him with a stretcher. Turning his shining purple eyes on the quivering man, Naruto lowered his chakra when he got a stern look from Haku and stepped back, but not before throwing Neji one last pain promising glare. Climbing back up the stairs in complete silence, Naruto ignored all the looks from his fellow genin and decided to blow things over by turning the attention to Kimimaro.

"Strange, I understand how I got down there so fast, but your actions confuse me Kimimaro. Hell, you even beat me down there," Naruto asked, successfully putting Kimimaro on the spot. Every Leaf ninja, including the jonin, were listening intently and wondering how the stoic boy was going to get out of this one.

"I was merely fulfilling my role as a Konoha shinobi," Kimimaro replied without batting an eyelash. Ending the conversation by completely ignoring Naruto's presence, Kimimaro turned his gaze down to his sister, who was rushing Hinata's unconscious body out of the arena.

Following his gaze, Naruto understood that even though he didn't say it, Kimimaro had grown to care for Konoha and its inhabitants, particularly one injured Hyuuga Heiress. Grasping the boy's shoulder, Naruto resisted Kimimaro's attempt to shrug him off, forcing the boy to look at him and Neji who was standing directly behind them.

"Don't worry he'll get what's coming to him, I'll make sure of it," Naruto announced just loud enough for Neji to hear. Sending a cocky smirk over his shoulder, Naruto turned back around to face the albino warrior and met the teen's gaze head on. For a second, Kimimaro held fast to his apathetic mask, but for a split second, he let a smirk break through when he found that Naruto's spirit matched perfectly with the statement he just made.

"Don't disappoint me blonde-baka," Kimimaro replied, quietly shocking Naruto with his sense of humor before turning his attention down to the electronic bulletin board.

Rock Lee vs. Subaku no Gaara

"Yosh!! It's finally time for Konoha's Azure Beast to shine!" shouted an ecstatic taijutsu master as he hopped over the railing and into the arena. On the other hand, his opponent hadn't said a word since the matches started and simply disappeared in a veil of sand before reappearing inside the ring ready for battle. Despite their opposite demeanors, both fighters had the same thought in mind.

_I will prove my existence/nindo…_

In addition, with that Hayate announced the beginning of the match. Lee darted forward like a green arrow, showing off his incredible agility by gracefully sidestepping every wave of sand sent toward him. Leaping over an attempt to capture his legs, Lee came crashing down on Gaara with a _Konoha Senpu_, but just as Lee was about to make contact, Gaara's automated defenses kicked in.

_Damn this shield will be troublesome, but I need to push through!_ Lee roared while continuing the motion and firing his other leg towards Gaara's face only to be stopped once again. Kicking off the sand barrier before it totally engulfed his leg Lee let loose a hail of shuriken as he retreated only to find that they too where stopped by Gaara's sand defenses.

Ignoring Sakura, who asked why he didn't use ninjutsu or genjutsu from above, Lee focused on reading his opponent's chakra in hopes of finding a loophole in his defenses. Sadly, there was none and instead of waiting for Gai to finish explaining his handicap to the girl, he was smitten with, Lee charged ahead intent on making a hole in Gaara's defenses.

Lee pounded away relentlessly at the sandy barrier, all the while dodging the swipes of sand coming from all angles without breaking a sweat. However, when one of his blows reached slightly closer to Gaara's face than the others, the Suna shinobi grew tired of the game and sent a huge wall of sand to capture Lee. After a series of back flips and a near slip into Gaara's grasp, Lee landed onto the hand seal statue shadowing the battlefield.

"Lee you have my permission to take them off just this once," Gai yelled out from the stands garnering strange looks from everyone around him. Fortunately, for the crowd Lee wasn't taking off his clothes but instead a pair of weights on each of his legs. Smirking when the hot Suna kunoichi stated that a few 'measly' weights wouldn't make a difference, Lee soaked up the feeling of awe the crowd, especially Sakura, was showing him when the 'measly' 50k weights made large dents in the sold concrete below.

Dashing towards Gaara with blinding speed, Lee's fist connect with the sand like normal; however, this time his momentum allowed him to push through and almost land a blow on Gaara's startled face.

_No, it's still not enough, I need to land a clean blow if I wish to finish this match,_ Lee uttered to himself as he danced around Gaara. He was systematically pushing farther and farther into Gaara's defense until in an impressive display of speed and technique, his foot came crashing down on Gaara's face forming a deep slash over the boy's cheek and it was at that moment that Gaara's killing intent spiked.

Watching tensely as Gaara's body became incased in sand, Lee knew from experience that this type of an opponent would indeed be able to overcome his _Omote Renge_ and he would have to use the _Ura Renge_ (Reverse Lotus) if he hoped to win. Sparing his beloved sensei a meaningful glance, Lee just smiled lightly when the man's features became hard with worry and grudging acceptance of his student's decision.

_Thank you Gai-sensei…,_ Lee whispered to himself before beginning to tap deep within himself to pull upon the power of the Hidden Chakra Gates.

_Opening… Rest… Life… Pain… and CLOSING!!_ Lee chanted to himself as he unlocked gate after gate, reaching his strongest form and shocking everyone in the room, including the once bloodthirsty Gaara. Taking off, Lee destroyed the very concrete beneath his feet with his strength and with little effort; he began dismantling Gaara's _Suna no Yoroi_ (Armor of Sand) with ease.

His barrage of fists began to draw blood when his reserve of stamina, saved from skipping the _Omote Renge_ ran out, and he moved on to his last legs of energy. Pounding away relentlessly at Gaara's prone airborne form, Lee spared Neji a passing glance as he moved in for the final attack. Enjoying his rival's look of shock and disbelief, Lee rushed in even faster, and because of it, fell into Gaara's trap.

Even though Lee was moving too fast for Gaara's sand to hope to defend against him, he hadn't counted on Gaara recalling his sandy armor with the sand from his _Suna no Tate_ (Shield of Sand), and focusing it all on the area where Lee's fist connected with Gaara's body. The sand immediately wrapped around Lee's arm, canceling out all of the destructive power stored within it, and the crushing pressure of the _Subaku Soso_ immediately followed and damaged the imprisoned limb.

Crying out loud, Lee's mind scrambled for a way to get out of this death grip, but when nothing came to mind and all his hope faded away, Lee felt something within him click and the pressure on his arm released for a moment. However, just as soon as it released, the pressure came back, but this time it didn't hurt.

Shocked, Lee looked down at his arm to see it was covered in a weird red and black pattern and for a moment, he felt chakra flow through his arm in a way he had thought was impossible for him.

The power behind the chakra push was more than enough to break through Gaara's miniature sand coffin and place a powerful punch on Gaara's thinly protected torso. However, as soon as Lee's fist connected with Gaara, the power from within him faded, and an unspeakable pain radiated from his once armored arm, which rendered him unconscious.

Both shinobi hit the ground with immeasurable force kicking up an explosion of dust. Resting only inches from one another, both combatants were bloody beyond belief. Gaara, from the onslaught of blows Lee inflicted on him and the blood he had coughed up from Lee's last punch, and Lee, from his left arm, which was little more than red and tattered.

Looking down on both unconscious Lee, Hayate merely shook his head from side to side before calling the match.

"Because the contestant Rock Lee was rendered unconscious from his last technique and contestant Subaku no Gaara managed to remain conscious during the duration of the match, I declare the winner of this match Subaku no Gaara!"

After hearing the decision, both Gai and Baki went to collect their wounded students from amidst the rumble below. Neither jonin said a word, seeing as both had thoughts of disbelief going through their heads. Gai, on how Lee could have subconsciously activated the ability to call upon the taijutsu ability that he had never seen before, despite his years of studying taijutsu, and Baki on how Gaara could have nearly lost. Returning to their respective sides, both senseis' set their students down before turning to the last match.

Akimichi Chouji vs Kinuta Dosu

Both contestants entered the arena ready for battle, Dosu anxious to finish the preliminaries while Chouji was forced in by an irate Ino, who was tired of hearing him bitch about her 'dieting plan' she made for all of Team Ten. However, what looked to be a good match quickly became a slaughter when Dosu called Chouji a fat ass for having to diet, and the rest was history.

Now eight of the nine contestants who passed were standing side by side, as they were each called up to draw lots for their placement in the next round. One by one, each of them went up and all got a number one through nine. After everyone had chosen, a ballot was drawn for Sasuke before the names appeared above the victors on the electronic bulletin board.

1 Uzumaki Naruto

2 Hyuuga Neji

3 Nara Shikamaru

4 Subaku no Temari

5 Subaku no Kankuro

6 Aburame Shino

7 Subaku no Gaara

8 Uchiha Sasuke

9 Akimichi Chouji

With the ballets cast each contestant looked toward their opponent, most of which were pleased with the results.

_I get that bastard right of the bat!_

_I will show the Main House that true power lies within the Branch House!_

_Kami, why am I always destined to fight females?!_

_Finally, I can get that sexist bastard! I'll show him a kunoichi is worth just as much attention as any shinobi!_

_I just hope the invasion starts before I have to fight this bug freak!_

_Interesting, my opponent seems to be showing signs of anxiety… I will need to add that into my calculations,_

… _The Uchiha's blood will prove my existence!_

_Lucky me I got the by round!_

However, before anyone could vocalize these thoughts, the Hokage cleared his throat before he gave his parting speech.

"I advise each and every one of you to take this month and remake yourself as shinobi. Therefore, when the time comes for you to show the people from each of the element countries your strength, you can prove to them that you are ready to become a Chunin," and with that the Hokage dismissed the finalist to their own devices.

Quickly finding the exit, Naruto made his way to the hospital, intent on seeing Hinata before starting his training.

At The Konohagakure Hospital

The periodic beeping of Hinata's EKG machine was the only thing reassuring Naruto that his first and closest friend was alive. Despite his numerous reassurances that she would be all right, Naruto knew first hand how devastating even a normal _Jyuuken_ blow could be to the body, let alone Neji's newest technique.

Gripping the pale-eyed girl's hand harder, Naruto was in the midst of swearing vengeance for the petite girl when her hand tightened its grip around his. Startled by the action, Naruto looked down in disbelief as Hinata opened her eyes after merely an hours rest.

"H-How are you awake, Neji's blow should have been enough to kill you! Y-you should be…," however, Naruto never got to finish seeing as someone familiar had placed a hand on his shoulder, effectively cutting his rant short.

"Hinata-chan will be fine, and despite the fact that normally such an injury would indeed be fatal, my knowledge of acupuncture and study of the inner workers of _Jyuuken_ made it a simple matter to reopen Hinata tenketsu with a few needles and undo the internal damage through normal means." A very professional sounding Haku said from behind him, having rehearsed her explanation yet again. Even though it was her fifth time explaining her methods, once to the on call medic who was about to call the case a lost cause, the girl's father, Kurenai and Shino, and yet again for Kiba, before finally explaining it to Naruto, and even then, Haku wasn't the least bit annoyed. In fact, she enjoyed the look of awe and appreciation that Naruto was giving her after she explained that his friend would be all right.

Jumping to his feet and engulfing Haku in a tight hug, Naruto ignored Haku's blush and showed the girl just how much he had appreciated what she did. Unfortunately, he forgot that a certain someone who was like a close sister to him was in the room, and would indeed stoop as low as to make fun of him while he fulfilled one of his unspoken desires.

"Ah-hum!" said Hinata after clearing her throat loudly to get the two's attention didn't work.

"Despite how touching this scene is Naruto, I need some sleep, and you glomping Haku over there isn't the last thing I want to see before I fall asleep so if you would…," Hinata said before pointing to the door. Releasing the icy princess from his arms, Naruto just turned and walked out of the room dragging a madly giggling Haku with him.

Once they were through the threshold, the two instantly jumped apart when they realized that Kimimaro was leaning on the wall right next to the doorway. Acting as if nothing was wrong, Naruto resisted turning a deep shade of red while asking Haku if she knew why he was here.

"Because he sort of escorted me here," Haku offered weakly, feeling bad that she completely forgot that her brother was here and worse because he caught her and Naruto holding hands.

'Oh' was all Naruto could mouth out before the bone-wielding warrior strode right up to him, and passed him without a single word. Relieved that the teen didn't say anything to him, or worse try to start a fight in the middle of a hospital hallway, Naruto couldn't help but wonder what could be so important to Kimimaro that he would just completely ignore the public display of affection between his sister and himself.

"Kimi-kun?!" Hinata's startled voice called from the room behind him, and from the shock and joy coming from the Heiress's voice, sleep was the last thing on her mind (no, they aren't doing that, so get your mind out of the gutter).

"Ha!! Kimi-kun?! Oh how the mighty have fallen!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. Neither Hinata's or Kimimaro's frigid gazes nor Haku's chastising could stop Naruto from laughing at the 'imposing Kimimaro's' nickname.

"I'm so sorry Kimimaro-kun, it just slipped," Hinata replied quickly as she was trying to mend the damage, but all it did was make Naruto laugh even harder. Kimimaro's gaze turned artic and Haku had to drag the hysterical blonde off before they were kicked out of the hospital for excessive noise.

After many annoyed looks and a threat to freeze his vocal cords, Naruto finally stopped laughing, just as they approached the nurse's changing room. Raising an eyebrow when he saw the door labeling, Naruto just chuckled when Haku punched his arm for his perverted thinking.

"What? I didn't say anything, and besides you had to have been thinking the same thing to justify hitting me," Naruto retorted suggestively, provoking a bright blush from the teenage girl beside him.

"Well Naruto-kun, if you don't mind, I need to change so how about you _go visit_ your teammate Sasuke, while I change and I'll meet back up with you at the front desk." Haku asked, despite the fact that her words came out more as orders. Taking the hint, Naruto left to go see his teammate, who despite popular belief he didn't hate, for that implies murderous intent. No he just disliked Sasuke to an extreme, knowing that any deviation from Haku's plan may result in a shower of senbon.

Making his way up to his least favorite teammate's room, Naruto found a startling lack of fan-girls around and soon realized that Kakashi may be a better sleuth than he gave him credit for.

_Wow, t__o fool Sasuke's hordes of followers without having to resort to deadly force, you may just be worthy of all the legends made for you Kakashi-sensei,_ Naruto thought jokingly before he ran straight into the man in question.

"Oh hello Naruto, didn't expect to see you hear," Kakashi greeted airily without once looking up from his novel.

"Hey why is it such a surprise for me to visit one of my teammates when they are in the hospital?" Naruto asked jokingly. Kakashi's glance up from his novel was all the response Naruto got.

"Well I'll make this quick then, seeing as Haku's probably already at the front desk waiting for me," Naruto started before getting a raised eyebrow and chuckle from Kakashi.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked genuinely hackled that Kakashi could be making fun of Haku.

"Oh nothing, it was just a similarity I picked up between you and this book. The lead character, you in this case, manages to befriend his enemy and in a short time they are best of friends," Kakashi answered, and for the first time since the conversation started Naruto had his full attention.

"Well eventually after about six months time the two become more than friends, and…," but Kakashi never was able to finish, seeing as Naruto was giving him a rather threatening glare.

"You better stop while you're ahead Kakashi," Naruto stated angrily, completely dropping off the honorary 'sensei' to his name.

"Well, let's just say I find it humorous that you and this book have so many parallels, and I'm looking forward to seeing just how many you follow," Kakashi added before sidestepping Naruto's angry swipe at his book.

"Tsk tsk Naruto, and this is one of the reasons that I decided I couldn't train you in this upcoming month; you have no sense of humor," Kakashi added, not once looking up from his book during the whole ordeal.

"And Sasuke does," Naruto countered sarcastically, earning him a shocked look from Kakashi.

"Come on sensei; don't take me for a fool. I've known ever since the names were announced that you would be training Sasuke, and for once, I'm all right with it because like you said in the Wave, I am a self-reliant student and that's not something I would give away. Even for a chance to train exclusively with the great _Sharingan Kakashi_. Besides, there's not much else you can teach me without directly spoon feeding it to me and like we have both stated before; that's something neither of us want to do," said Naruto.

Kakashi just nodded approvingly, a bit off-guard on how well Naruto was taking it. He was half expecting him to storm off in some rage on how he had betrayed him.

"Kakashi, one thing though, make sure Sasuke is strong when you come back in a month, because if I beat him too easily in front of a audience from around the shinobi globe, he may just kill himself," Naruto added before leaving Kakashi with a bemused smile on his face.

"I'll tell him you said that Naruto and don't think I forgot about you, I called in some favors and I managed to get someone willing to teach you a few things while I'm gone," Kakashi called out to Naruto as the boy turned the corner towards the stairs before returning to his favorite book.

_Now where was I?_

Still in the Konohagakure Hospital (Specifically The Lobby)

Haku was getting worried, Naruto was five minutes late and her paranoia was starting to get the better of her.

_What if he got lost and stumbled into the anesthesia closet? He could be drifting off into a sleep he'll never wake up from, or worse, what if he picked himself with an infected syringe, he could have contracted SARS, Ebola, AIDS!! What if…,'_ but before Haku could formulate another horrible fate for Naruto someone tapped her on her shoulder.

"Excuse me miss, you wouldn't have seen a short blonde around here? Goes by the name Naruto and can be incredibly annoying once you get to know him," the man asked, not knowing that he just sparked another semi-insane possibility in Haku's mind. However, before Haku could spew any of her molten crazy ideas on the innocent man, the boy in question arrived just in time.

"Sorry I'm late Haku-chan, I hope I didn't keep you too… Ebisu-sensei, what are you doing to Haku-chan!" Naruto yelled, completely turning everyone's attention to the scene in front of him. Even though Ebisu just had his hand on Haku's shoulder, but from a bystander's point of view, the scene looked undoubtedly wrong.

"Wait Naruto its not what it looks like," Ebisu said frantically, trying to convince the crowd around him that he was innocent. However, Naruto pulled Haku towards him and making even more of a scene, which convinced everyone he was a pervert.

"Ebisu… no Ero-sensei, don't touch Haku-chan! I can't believe you would even try hitting on someone so young!" Naruto stated loudly, causing everyone to look at poor Ebisu with contempt and disgust.

"Wait, it isn't what it looks like…," Ebisu tried, but no one was listening, so with much embarrassment, he just looked Naruto in the eye and sighed.

"You win Naruto," and with that said, the crowd poofed out of existence revealing themselves to be numerous shadow clones, leaving only one shocked nurse and one laughing idiot beside her.

"You actually had me convinced that time," Ebisu stated before straightening himself up. Through all the excitement, he forgot two major things: one, always look underneath the underneath, and two never make a bet with Uzumaki Naruto no matter how old.

"Well, I hadn't pulled a prank in years, at least not after the Old Man started taking care of me, so I had to make this one big especially for our bet," Naruto replied as they walked out of the Hospital and made their way into town.

"Wait, what bet," Haku asked confused and wondering why Naruto had such a weird grin on his face.

"Years ago right after the Third started taking direct care of Naruto, I was assigned as the boy's instructor while the Sandaime was away. Well, in order to stop him from pulling his constant pranks, I bet him that if he could prank me then I would teach him anything he wanted know," Ebisu explained to the bewildered girl.

"Hey, don't forget the second part Ebisu-sensei, or should I now say Ero-sensei," Naruto added with a smirk that only widened when he saw the spectacled man's discomfort.

"What second part?" Haku asked, edging away from Ebisu and right into Naruto's open arms.

"Naruto caught me reading the hit series, Icha Icha Paradise, prior to him knowing what it was about, so after I explained it to him; he insisted on calling me by 'that name'," Ebisu explained, shuttering at the thought of his new nickname.

"Therefore, as a prize for pranking him, I get to call him that whenever I want," Naruto remarked joyous as they reached their destination.

"So it's the usual place then," Ebisu stated before pushing his shades up, blocking the perverted gleam in his eyes from view.

"Yeah it's the hot springs again, so no funny ideas Ero-sensei," Naruto threatened before entering the coed spring with his two companions.

Later…

"Again!" Ebisu called out to Naruto who was currently compressing his _Chakra Shokkou_ into one sphere to hone his chakra control. Apparently, it was preparation for a strong jutsu Ebisu had promised to teach him years ago.

"I'm trying, but it's harder than it looks Ero-sensei," Naruto retorted, sharply growing more and more frustrated ever since Haku went to the other side to take a dip in the springs.

Releasing the chakra molding, Naruto threw his eyes over towards the 'Ladies Only' spring when he saw a quivering mass of wooden boards. Ebisu realized what it was first and in an attempt to be chivalrous, attacked the mass before he was flying through the sky.

"That'll teach you to mess with the Great Toad Sage Jiraiya!!" the white haired Sanin yelled arrogantly complete with his own Sanin dance. Unfortunately, before he could finish, an orb of chakra shot past him and into the air scaring all woman in the spring Jiraiya was peeping in away.

Turning his attention to the offending figure, Jiraiya couldn't say a word once his eyes fell on the blonde boy, who was staring at him with an orb of chakra floating in his hand and a look that said 'bring it on' in his eyes.

_Minato?! It can't be he's dead my…,_ but before Jiraiya could finish that thought, Haku's voice cut the silent tension.

"Naruto-kun, what happened?" the wet girl yelled, drawing the boy's attention sideways and giving Jiraiya a full view of the faded whisker marks on the side of his face.

_My… my grandson is alive?!_ was all Jiraiya could think while a horde of naked women stampeded into the streets behind him, intent on sending him to the lower levels of hell.

Read and Review

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long to put up, but FR was like an itch I just couldn't scratch. Fortunately, I'm back and I'm gonna focus on this fic the most (it'll probably be the most frequently updated). Well until next time…

Jutsu Logue:

_Hakke Shinkirou_ (Eight Trigrams Mirage): Hinata's own variation of the Hakke stance. Having mastered her chakra to a level where she can control it from all her pours without handseals, simple jutsu like the one _Bunshin_ can be performed at will. Combining that ability with her speed and agility, Hinata can fool almost any enemy into believing they've landed a hit (even those with advanced doujutsu) thus leaving them open to her immediate counter attack.

_Hakke: Furitori no Furaito_ (Free Bird's Flight): Neji's own variation of the Hakke stance. This technique uses two _Hakke Kusho_ combined with a _Kaiten _to propel the user at their opponent in a similar manner to the Inuzuka's _Tsuga_. However, unlike the _Tsuga,_ this technique also doubles as a magnified _Jyuuken_ strike with enough power to kill an opponent if it makes a direct hit as well as close several tenketsu by just passing nearby a target.

_Ura Renge _(Reverse Lotus): This jutsu is an advanced and more destructive version of the Front Lotus (Omote Renge), which requires that at least three chakra gates be opened (in every instance in which it has been used, five gates are opened). Once enough gates are open, the user launches the target into the air and hits them with one arm, sending the target crashing into the ground. This is usually fatal due to the speed and power behind the attack. Because so many chakra gates are opened at once, it can only be used once, since the user will likely be unable to stand afterward. (wiki)

Black Saint


	15. Family Of Secrets

"": Spoken

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts _

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know, I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

**Note: By the end of this chapter a few things will come to light that aren't canon, but hey I've been AU for a while now so bare with me. So I'll repeat this fic is AU and things are bound to be different. **

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously...

"Naruto-kun, what happened?" the wet girl yelled, drawing the boy's attention sideways and giving Jiraiya a full view of the faded whisker marks on the side of his face.

_My… my grandson is alive?!_ was all Jiraiya could think while a horde of naked women stampeded into the streets behind him, intent on sending him to the lower levels of hell.

Ch. 15 Family Of Secrets

"THERE HE IS GIRLS! LET'S GET THIS PERVERT!!" the leader of the angry, mob cried. Despite being a group of wet, steamy females, Jiraiya had no intention of stopping and starting or even staying in the general area as most of the females were Chunin or higher level shinobi, and they were out for blood. However the sight of his grandson had slowed his normally honed reactions down to a trickle and the pervert nin was forced to dodge the hail of income kunai, shuriken, and low to mid powered jutsu instead of vanishing during the mob's initial shocked reaction.

He was forced to pay the price when a bolt of pure chakra slammed into him from the behind, hitting a pain producing tenketsu on his back. Immediately the Sanin scanned the area for the perpetrator only to set his gaze on another painstaking memory for him. Below him stood Hinata, wrapped in a damp towel and an expression of pure righteous fury on her face. In her one hand dangled the Hyuuga's four point pentacle heirloom, and in her eyes there was the clear intent to murder the offending peeper.

_Kami not her too, I was told she was kidnapped and killed,_ Jiraiya thought painfully while staring down at the Hyuuga heiress with a dumbstruck expression on his face. There was no other explanation, she was carrying one of the two head family heirlooms those proving her identity as the next in line to rule. If that wasn't enough she was as he remembered, all the poise and dignity of his father while at the same time all the inner fire and passion of her mother. Hard to believe that she was his granddaughter, given the distinct difference in appearance.

_Well that's what happens when you let your daughter marry into the Hyuuga,_ Jiraiya added humorlessly recalling his daughter's adamant decision on marry Hiashi, despite them being so young. Averting his eyes away from the painful sight, Jiraiya could stop the memories from flowing. Looking at Hinata forced him to relive the fact that his daughter had paid the ultimate price and died only a few years giving birth to her first child, who was supposedly killed years ago in a botched kidnapping attempt years before.

Realizing that he had been lied to for more than a decade, Jiraiya realized there was only one person who could give the answers he needed, and unfortunately that was also the person who had been lying to him for the better part of thirteen years. Suppressing his anger, Jiraiya shoved the intense emotion deep down inside before dawning a chilling outer expression, he would save his fury for a deserving target and meanwhile focus all his intentions on escaping the angry mob around him alive.

"Well I'm sorry ladies but I have pressing matters to attend to, so can we reschedule this to some other time. Preferably in a relaxed environment," Jiraiya offered playfully before activating the Shunshin he had been molding and teleported away. The Sanin's departure proved to be just in time as, two large, bolts of chakra collided with the space he once occupied. A flash emanated from the flash blinding all in the vicinity, masking Jiraiya's departure as well as the chakra trail leading to his destination.

* * *

_And that completes the set, _Sarutobi thought relieved that he had finally caught up with all the paperwork he had lagging behind in. The truth was admitting three new shinobi had really taken a chunk out of his time, plus with the chunin exams underway he was rarely in the office.

_And don't get me started on Orochimaru,_ the wizened shinobi thought humorlessly as the ominous cloud that was his former pupil hovered above his head like a sharpened guillotine. Letting out a tired sigh, Sarutobi showed his true age for the first time in years, the fearless leader of Leaf for over three decades looked be little more than an exhausted old man who had seen far too much to worrying over the younger generation's problems. Unfortunately there is no rest for the weary and another one of his problems just caught up to him.

"We need to talk,"

Looking up into the eyes of his former pupil Sarutobi could tell that he was in for it. Jiraiya, the fun-loving, pervert of Sarutobi's genin team and later Legendary Sanin looked at his former sensei with little more than barely concealed anger and an incredible amount of contempt laced with killing intent. Had he been anyone else Sarutobi knew Jiraiya would have either torn his throat out with his bare hands or shoved the Fourth's prized jutsu so far into his stomach he would be tasting chakra for weeks.

"I suppose you met Naruto-kun then," Sarutobi replied honestly, driving directly into the heart of the issue. Given their positions there wasn't much else he could done and the elder man felt he owed it to his student to tell no lies, as he had already done that for far too long.

"Yes I did, but then again it isn't every day you meet your grandchild in a hot spring carrying the only memento of his father!" Jiraiya roared, his anger finally getting the better of him. In a morbid way, Sarutobi mused that he had finally found something that could get a raise out of the eternal pervert other than booze, woman, and money; unfortunately for him, this thing was no laughing matter.

"I suppose you do have a point…,"

"A point! Of course I have a motherfucking point you shriveled up old ape! For the last twelve years of my life I have been lied to, and by none other than my own sensei at that!" Jiraiya countered loudly cutting off Sarutobi's words before they could even leave his mouth.

"Need I remind you, you are still in the presence of your superior, in every sense of the word I may add, and I will not tolerate your blatant disrespect," the Hokage cut in, having brandished is tired, old face and replaced it with the Hidden Leaf's fearless leader's façade.

"Pft as if old man, I doubt you could get out of your chair without blowing a joint," Jiraiya huffed angrily as his let his temper simmer. Even though he wouldn't admit it allowed Jiraiya knew that the older man's words were more than half true. Sarutobi had defeated him every time they truly sparred, however it was mainly because Jiraiya could never draw on his full potent like when he fought an enemy nin or was protect his precious people. That however didn't mean he wasn't still anger will the old ape, he would just have better control in showing it.

However despite the discourteous comment, Sarutobi smiled having felt the sharp decrease in his pupil's kill intent as well as overall control of his anger. Sarutobi could go as far as to say Jiraiya was a better man than he was, because if their roles were reversed he knew that he would have been talking with his hands rather than his mouth.

_At least my still carry sway over one of my students, _the aged man thought sadly as his thoughts wandered to this two estranged students, but before he could further delve into his old genin's teams glaring dysfunctions Sarutobi was jarred from his thoughts by his still rather p.o.'ed student.

"That still doesn't explain why you lied to me," Jiraiya said quietly. Although his voice had lost all of its hot passion, to the elder ninja these words packed a whole lot more punch than the angry cries before them. As Hokage he could deal with impassioned speeches and burning rage, but as a teacher and even more as a second father to his students, Sarutobi couldn't deal with glaring displays of pain and desperation.

"Because Jiraiya your standing with the village during the time of Naruto's birth was less than admirable, and although your spy network needed to be managed and upheld given you that sort of information would have been a risk to the village," Sarutobi answered after a long silence.

"But my grandson! Saru-sensei you know I would never do anything to endanger my grandchild, either of them!" Jiraiya replied, his frustration mounting again. Shock flashed on the Hokage's face for mere moment before age lines marred the man's face once again.

"Surprised aren't you, and I hadn't meant to tell you I found out about her, until after I brought Tsunade into this little secret but I figure hey their grandmother would probably want a private crack at you as well," Jiraiya spat sardonically after he dropped another bomb on his sensei.

"Jiraiya I understand that you are mad, but…,"

"No Saru-sensei you haven't seen mad. This right here is nothing compared to the shit storm you are about to weather when Tsunade finds out that not one but two of her grandchildren had been hidden away from her. I just pray for your soul she is feeling generous and will let you die after than encounter because I doubt you'd want her to heal you, just to have to go through it all over again once you're finished," Jiraiya added bitterly as the even deeper lines of worry were added to Sarutobi's furrowed brow.

"Yes, yes I knew that day would come and I had long since planned to be dead when you two found out, but since that won't be happening I figure I should tell you this now," Sarutobi said before letting out a long sigh.

"Officially my reasons for withholding information on the articles of Namikaze Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata's deaths are that both you and Tsunade, both blood relatives to the two, were unfit to be trusted with such sensitive information…," Sarutobi started only to get an angry snort from Jiraiya.

"However in reality that was only a story to please the council. In truth you to were held ignorant to the fact, because if you both had known Naruto, and later Hinata would have been taken out of the village had you had known of their treatment," Sarutobi stated.

"What do you mean their treatment," Jiraiya asked suspiciously eyes narrowing at unforeseen scenarios.

"Naruto is hailed a bit of a pariah and scapegoat for the village's pain towards Kyuubi, whereas Hinata's mixed blood has earned her much contempt from the Hyuuga Council, and from what I've heard from Hiashi his hands are tied if and when the Clan Elders elect to place her in the branch family," Sarutobi finished weathering Jiraiya's the imminent reaction without so much as a cringe. A crash was heard and the remains of what had been an elegant vase was scattered on the floor. His priceless Earth Country urn never stood a chance, and Sarutobi would have been mad hadn't the thing belonged to the previous Tsuchikage, the murdering bastard he had been.

"Where are they! I'll kill them all for hurting my children like that!" Jiraiya promised ready to reintroduce the Hyuuga Elder's as well as most of the village's populace with his prized pupil, and son's favorite jutsu.

"Jiraiya calm yourself, otherwise you will be no help to either of them," Sarutobi quipped sternly as he eyed the infuriated man. For an instant Sarutobi prepared himself for Jiraiya's attack, but just as he though the younger man was about to pounce the Sanin's muscles uncoiled and the man sagged down into a chair feeling just as old and tired as his sensei.

"They are my blood how can you not expect me to get this worked up," Jiraiya asked with a worn smirk, recalling the time when his sensei almost ripped stone jonin's head off for hurting his son Asuma. If memory served the only thing that prevented the man's full decapitation was the fact that Asuma had used a kawarimi and the ghastly image of a kunai in his clavicle was in fact a well placed henge.

"I don't but I expect you to at least try to keep your head no matter how hard it may be, and that includes not telling the two of your and Tsunade's relationship to them until the time is right," Sarutobi responded knowing how this would go over.

"Oh no, you may be a liar, but I have no intention of being one. They deserve to know as soon as possible, too much time has been lost as it is," Jiraiya rebuffed quickly, the mere idea of lying, even by omission being repulsive.

"Understand Jiraiya the time isn't too far off, well at least not until we can convince Tsunade to come back, and as you said these two are the perfect reason. However until then these two do not need to be burdened with the truth of their origins, especially with Chunin Exam's so close," Sarutobi explained.

_Damn that ape's logic…,_ Jiraiya thought as old memories were drudged up from deep within him. A long silence sat between them before Jiraiya finally found voice enough to talk.

"I wasn't going to tell them everything, just that I was there and Tsunade would be too, I just want to be in their lives," the Sanin uttered softly bearing his soul to his sensei. The two's lost and rediscovery meant far more to the Toad Sanin than Sarutobi first realized, and now that he thought about it Sarutobi found it was indeed foolish to underestimate a parent's love. Hell he had killed for his son, and he had no doubt Jiraiya wouldn't do the same.

"I'm not saying that you have to stay completely away from them, but just hold off from telling them until Tsunade is here. These children are young, and move over they are shinobi; they will be suspicious of your relationship to them and will ask questions, ones I'm not sure you are ready to answer," the Ape summoner replied, whilst silently sending his student his condolences as he watch the white haired Sanin battle the memories within himself.

"If it's any consolation I am sorry for the pain Orochimaru caused you or Tsunade, hadn't I been so blind I would have seen his treachery sooner as well as the many wrongs he had committed, especially those to you two," Sarutobi offered, losing himself to his sadness as well.

"We were just as blind as you, and Orochimaru just took advantage of that as well as our trust. Plus there is no way you could have known what Orochimaru was doing to us, hell we didn't even know until after he left and read our files and by then Minato and Umi were already family, getting those document's just proved that me and Tsunade's blood was running through their veins," Jiraiya offered, meeting his teacher's sentiment halfway.

"True, but Orochimaru should have never been allowed to experiment on people let alone his own teammates, and him making clones with both your and Tsunade's DNA only proves my failure as a teacher," Sarutobi said blatantly revealing his greatest shortcoming aloud.

Namikaze Umi and Minato were twins, created by Orochimaru in lab during one of his attempts to create a way to finally become immortal. The mad Sanin figured that if royal blood of the first Hokage met the blood of one blessed by the toad clan itself that a body like that would be something worth having. Unfortunately for him, his experiment were too time consuming for his tastes and he didn't want to spend fifteen plus years waiting for his body to mature like fruit when he could wait a meager three and just replace minds with another human. This left Minato and Umi in an orphanage with only each other and a 'six' sided cross to their names, while Orochimaru pursued other interests.

"No that only proves how demented my former comrade was, and still is but I guess it's for the best now that his gone. Besides I got a son and daughter I never had, with the woman of my dreams no less," Jiraiya babbled happily before he heard a depressed sigh from Sarutobi.

"Your words aren't entirely correct Jiraiya… Orochimaru is back and he's ready to go to war," Sarutobi stated before shock fell on Jiraiya's face.

"So that is when you summoned me, and to think I was going to ignore it. Glad I didn't because now I get to kick old 'Rochi-chan's ass!" Jiraiya shouted with mock happiness. On the outside the Toad Sanin was full of confidence, but on the inside the little boy who still had an inferiority complex to the pale Snake Sanin was shivering at the thought of coming up short, again…

"No Jiraiya this is my fight, your main reason for being here is to protect the village,"

"You mean protect my grandchildren, don't think I'm still than naïve boy from so many decades ago, I've learned a lot especially when it comes to relationships and I now my gut is telling me you called me back here knowing I would find them and would stay solely to make sure they're safe," Jiraiya insinuated expertly all the while a small smirk played its way onto his face.

"Possibly, and if you are right just consider that an old man's way of apologizing," Sarutobi shot back, the same type of smirk playing on his face as well.

"Well apology accepted, but realize after this war with 'Rochi, realize that you have an impossible battle with the greatest force on this planet," Jiraiya said as laughed at the thought of being an observer to that fight.

"Just because you can't do anything against Tsunade doesn't mean I can't," the Hokage countered quickly chuckling at all the memories of Tsunade tearing Jiraiya a new one.

"Yeah, yeah you old ape, just get to using that crystal ball jutsu, because like I said before I have precious time to be catching up on," Jiraiya called before his sensei went to work on his observing orb and began scrying his two recently rediscovered grandchildren.

The Hot Spring Fifteen Minutes Ago…

When the blinding light faded the offending pervert was no where to be found, and after a _thorough_ inspection of the surrounding area by the bathing kunoichi, the women returned to their bathes all too willing to finish their soak. In all of the commotion none of the irate females noticed the particular predicament the thoroughly embarrassed genin were in.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!" Naruto cried desperately as he shielded his eyes away from the towel clad Hinata as the girl clung to said towel for dear life while trying to _Jyuuken _the hell out of Naruto with her free hand. However her free hand wasn't so free, for it was in fact bound in an entirely-too-tight chain with Naruto's hand. Their two pentacle's had somehow merged during Jiraiya's flight leaving the two in their awkward situation.

"Stop saying sorry and just get out of here!" Hinata yelled in frustration. Her relaxing dip in the spa after a particularly vexing day had quickly turned sour by a wandering pervert, and now it was going completely to hell seeing as she was practically handcuffed to her surrogate brother. Her embarrassment didn't end there as Haku, her friend and sister to the guy she not-so-secretly was attracted to, was witnessing the whole thing with a little less than thinly concealed embarrassment.

'_Kami why me,'_ both of the stuck teens thought, as they relented in pull one another in opposite direction and combined forces in an attempt to free themselves from their mutual binding. It hadn't worked and Naruto nearing pulled his shoulder out of socket with all the force he was exerting. Seeing this Haku got an idea, and with expert use of the senbon she pinched several pressure points in the blond's arm rendering it lifeless. As soon as the appendage went limp Hinata was able to wiggle her hand out of the chain, before immediately rubbing the sore appendage.

"Gee thanks Haku however ever am I supposed to train with a limp, Dear Kami In Heaven That Hurts!" Naruto yelled when a sudden, unwarranted, burst of chakra entered his numb arm. Turning towards his offender Naruto saw Hinata smiling at him like the evil Lady of Makai herself before giving her an accusing look.

"Oh come on, you were just complaining about not being able to move your arm and now that I've restored your movement all you can do is whine about a bit to pain," Hinata shot back coyly, knowing full and well her words would only get under Naruto's skin.

"A little pain?! You shot me up with more _Jyuuken_ than that one time I suggested we all diet!" Naruto counter as a, rather painful, memory of his childhood training with his friends resurfaced in his mind.

'_I swear the only one to get a worse beating than that was Shika, and that's mainly because he can't keep his mouth shut,'_ Naruto thought as he winced at the mere thought of all the bruises Shikamaru had.

"Whatever stop being a baby, and beside we should be worrying about more important things, like getting you ready for the exam, figuring out what the hell just happened, getting back to my bath…," the Hyuuga said adding the last part with a dreamy look in her eyes. Turning his attention back to the merged pentacle on his friend's wrist Naruto tuned out the rest of the girl's words as he gazed at the transformed bit of metal.

The once four and five side chakra focusers had merged to form a six pointed cross that glimmered with an eerie silverfish light. The peace of shining jewelry felt oddly familiar to Naruto for some reason and he couldn't shake the fact that he felt somehow connected to that peace of metal. Noticing the blond's gaze Hinata realized that her soak was going to have to wait, a after a meaningful look into her friend's she left to go get changed.

Haku, who felt like the third wheel in all of this, stayed quiet in hopes that the two depart quickly and relieve her from her embarrassment. Unfortunately for her, the Sandaime –and later Hinata, Sakura, and Ino – had pounded manners into the boy's skull after witnessing a few of his less savory traits and habits.

"Sorry 'bout that. Sometimes I get so lost in my own thoughts that I forget what's around me, don't worry though I don't plan to leave you out on this one, 'cause I'm sure you're dying to find out more about that thing like I am," Naruto said to his dark haired companion.

"Oh I don't mind, it really wasn't any of my business and I don't want to intrude on something as private as that between you and Hinata-san," Haku replied courteously, genuinely warmed by the fact Naruto had wanted to include her in something that was obviously important to him.

"Nonsense you're welcome to come. You are a Konoha citizen now, you have nothing to fear within these walls, but more importantly you are my friend and I don't want you to _ever_ feel like you can't approach me with anything," Naruto reaffirmed sternly, his eyes reflecting only complete honesty and sincerity.

The warm feeling that had filled Haku's chest had suddenly spread throughout her whole body, and for once that ever-present calm she maintained over herself faded into a giggling mass of mad blushing and hopeless romantic thoughts.

"Thank you Naruto, I'm not sure what to say," Haku finally managed to stammer out while in face of Naruto's intense gaze.

"Think nothing of it, and just show your thanks by coming with us to…," Naruto said before trailing off to exactly where they were headed. Although he had gotten his half of the next bracelet from the Hokage, Naruto was pretty sure the old man was too busy to be worrying about something like this, especially with the Chunin Exam underway, but other than him Naruto didn't know anyone else that could possibly give him an answers.

"We need to go to the Hyuuga Complex," Hinata cut in as she made her way from the dressing room.

"Why there?" Naruto asked; voicing both his and Haku's question.

"Because the Hokage's busy and did you forget I got my half of this thing from my father, so he's bound to know something about it," Hinata answered before heading towards her ancestral home. The three chatted happily amongst one another, enjoying their leisurely pace through the village. Hinata wasn't ignorant of the fact that they were moving so slow because of her, but neither of her friends seemed to mind and that alone brought a real smile to her face.

A smile that quickly feel as they crossed the threshold of the Hyuuga Gates. Following the girl's gaze, Naruto's eyes narrowed when he laid eyes the one person he wanted to hurt most in the world. Neji was deep in his Hakke kata, practicing his form until it was perfection, and to someone who's seen how it's supposed to be done he was frighteningly close.

Ending his kata in the traditional Hakke ready stance Neji stood straight before turning his gaze to the newcomers. A snide smirk played on his face when he spied Hinata's impassive gaze as well as Naruto's glare, he knew he was pushing the blond's buttons and the young Hyuuga hoped the boy would snap so he could show him a preview of what was to come in a month's time.

"Naruto it's not worth it," Hinata whispered as she grabbed the blond shinobi's bicep stopping him from doing something rash. Internally Naruto fumed that Hinata was protecting the bastard, but he knew inside she was doing it for him. If he fought Neji now he had no doubt he would lose, at least not without relying on his shinigami powers, and as much as he wanted to 'purify' Neji's soul, killing a contestant before the exam would surely be looked down upon.

"How unyouthful Neji, to stand idle whilst in the middle of your training! Why if Gai-sensei were here you would have to do one thousand push-ups, one hundred laps around the complex…," Lee cried out from behind his smug teammate before continuing on with more seemingly impossible tasks, jarring the boy from his break and forcing the teen back to work begrudgingly. Throwing a sideways glance to Naruto, Lee offered a small smile to show he understood.

_I'll have to make sure to thank Lee later… Maybe I'll refrain from killing/maiming his teammate so that way he doesn't have to take time out of training to find another one,_ Naruto thought mischievously before proceeding into the olden style mansion.

For someone who lived in poverty for a good part of his life, Naruto had learned to appreciate many of the little things like running water and air conditioning; but a tiny part of him would always be jealous every time he would visit the luxurious Hyuuga Complex, this time being no exception. From the huge Zen garden in the center of the complex to hardwood floors that spanned the entire establishment, Naruto couldn't help but feel that jealousy grow as Haku's absorbed it all in with utter fascination. The feeling struck him as awkward and foreign and Naruto did his best to suppress whatever that feeling was.

Reaching the largest building in the estate, the trio made their way inside, following Hinata closely as she guided them through the labyrinth type layout of the Main Branch's home. Stopping at a pair of grand oaken double doors guarded by two branch house members, Hinata stepped forward drawing both of their attention on to her.

"I request an audience with my father, Hiashi-sama," Hinata asked politely. It shocked her friends that she had to be so formal to speak with her own father, but Hinata knew if their was an important conference going on within the confines of the office in front of her barging in would only make things look bad for the Hyuuga.

"Hai Hinata-sama, I will see if Hiashi-sama," one of the branch member's stated with a bow.

"Thank you," Hinata added sweetly with a nod of her own, fearing anything more would cause the man to fall to his knees, offering the man more gratitude than any of her main branch brethren.

The guard disappeared for a moment before returning to his post with eh door left open behind him. Taking it as a gesture to enter, the three moved forward only to be barred by a quick motion from the two guards.

"Only Hinata-sama and Uzumaki-san may enter. This is the word of the Hyuuga Head," the one of left stated never looking down at the three. Naruto fumed that he had been made out to be a liar, but when a calm hand rested on his shoulder he felt all his control reign in his anger.

"It's alright Naruto-kun, I'll will meet you back at the spa when you're finished," Haku offered, soothing Naruto's irritation with one a few calm words and a simple gesture. Marveled at the fact that one kunoichi had managed to do what squads of ANBU failed to accomplish the guards eyed Haku with awe.

_To believe the mischievous and vengeful spirit of Uzumaki Naruto could be quelled by one so young,_ the two guards thought before one lead Haku out of the complex while the other stayed put and closed the door behind the two who had entered the office.

Hiashi office was subtle blend of ancient culture with modern enterprise. All the tables were low to the ground like the traditional furniture and surrounded by only the finest silken cushions, however on the walls were seal powered lamps that lit the room with a low mellowing light. Behind his desk sat Hiashi's mediating form, several shadows playing behind him from the various lights in the room, making the man seem larger and more intimating than normal.

_As if he needed that,_ Naruto though sarcastically before being caught off guard by Hinata sudden bow. Following suit, albeit reluctantly, Naruto waited in silence for Hiashi to acknowledge their presence. They didn't have to wait long because before Naruto could even grow irritated, Hiashi's eyes snapped open and peered at both of the two shinobi before him.

"Rise and come forward we have much to discuss," Hiashi said with gesturing to the cushions before him. His voice wasn't threatening or anger, but they complied all the same as it held tone of authority. Once seated the two watched as Hiashi formed a single seal with one hand, and wooden wall behind him gave way and receded into the walls along side it revealing the Hyuuga Zen garden behind him.

Surprised by the display, Naruto respect for Hiashi jumped about three notches from the coolness of his actions alone, bring it back to just about the same level before he kicked Haku out.

_Speaking of that, _Naruto thought, but before he could stick his foot in his mouth Hinata beat him to the punch.

"Father today something peculiar happened while I was at the hot springs. The trinket you had given me – the one that belonged to mother – reacted strangely to the pentacle, Naruto had gotten from the Hokage. Naruto-kun claims that Sarutobi said it was from his father," Hinata stated, with a curious almost accusing glint in her eyes as she stared at her father, hoping to divine an answer from the man's face. No such answer came, and Hiashi just beckoned for Hinata's hand, and went she did the amulet on her wrist slid off before hovering above of Hiashi's open palm.

"This you two is the object that links you two together… This is the heritance your parents, twin brother and sister, have left you," Hiashi stated solemnly as he chakra finished interacting with the six armed cross and with another flash it separated into two pieces again.

"The five armed pentacle represents all the natures of chakra, and after much study it's first owner, the Fourth Hokage and Naruto's father, found that the pentacle refines the wielder's control of elemental nature of chakra several times faster than practice without it," Hiashi explained as he dragged his gaze from the five armed star into blond's eyes. A flash of recognition passed over Naruto's mind's eye and he realized that it was because of that thing that he had been able to enhance his control over wind so rapidly and in such a short amount of time during the mission in the wave.

"Where as this four armed cross represents the four natures in which chakra can be used; nin, tai, gen, and fuinjutsu are all encompassed in the power of this amulet, thus bestowing the user to create and maintain jutsu faster and longer," Hiashi concluded whilst looking at his eldest daughter. It was then that the creation of her _Hakke: Jinsoku Chouin_ _Sho_ struck her as odd. Normally it took years to develop a technique such as that, but every time she had gotten stuck a one particularly difficult roadblock in her technique she found that after a few tries her chakra seemed to overcome that difficulty. She never suspected the reason to because of the amulet enhancing her chakra!

"So does that mean without those trinkets any progress we've made with them, becomes invalid?" Hinata asked worriedly, knowing how much she and Naruto both had unwittedly relied on their respective object's power.

"No, these devices enhance the user's ability to create and master their chakra. So any progress you've made with them will still be yours, however if you have jutsu that require these objects as medium, then without them they are useless to you," Hiashi responded, proud so see that neither of the teens in front of him looked particularly worried. Letting his chakra ebb out of the two amulets, Hiashi watched as they melded back into one another before another flash encompassed the room.

"This however is known by few as the Six Paths of Chakra, and with it complete master over chakra can be obtained," Hiashi explained as the six pointed star hover above his hand once again.

"I understand why only a few people would know about it given how much power it can give its user, however how did it fall into our, and by that I mean mine, Naruto's, yours, mother's, and the Yondaime's hands?" Hinata asked cutting right to the point.

"…That young lady is a question that is better answered at another time," a voice cut in from behind the two teens. Turning around both of the genin growled in anger after spotting the pervert that had given them so much grief not too long ago. Letting his _Junshuu Chakra _flare Naruto spied Hinata falling into a _Hakke_ stance, both of them ready to tear a piece of out the world-renown Toad Sage.

"Children ease yourselves, not only are you attack an iconic figure in not only Konoha but _the world_, you are also about to step into possibly the worse beating of your life," Hiashi advised. Not surprisingly Hinata rose from her stance, not willing to defy her father over something as trivial as the pervert in front of her. However Naruto was a different story entirely.

"I mean no disrespect Hyuuga-san when I say; I don't give a damn if he was emperor of all the elemental countries! The man, no this pervert, has got to be taught a lesson and at least one that'll teach him not to peep on innocent woman again," Naruto uttered with a wicked grin. His hand was itching to draw out his bokken and _Kuukigiri_ the girl right in his most prized possession; however self-restraint and respect stop the blond from doing it… well at least in Hiashi office.

"Do understand Uzumaki-san I mean no disrespect when I say, this man could kick you inexperienced tail from coast to coast on the continent, for he is known as the only one ot defeat Orochimaru in one-on-one combat as well as being the sensei to your father, the Fourth," Hiashi replied calmly, deep down enjoying the boy's banter that was oh-so-similar to the blond haired Hokage.

"Defeating the snake freak, please I have more than enough chakra to do that, and I would have if I hadn't gotten impatient," Naruto countered, his mind still drawing blanks on what exactly happened during his fight with the Snake Sanin. He could remember a powerful feeling surrounding him, going for the kill, and then black until his battle with _that_ part of him.

"I doubt it boy, Orochimaru was more than likely toying with you, and so what if you have more chakra than him. It's not like you can use it very well, not with all the chakra you have floating around this room. Oh and about that you'd better stop, 'cause I'm not gonna be the one to carry your chakra exhausted ass to the hospital just because you were stupid of enough to waste all your chakra trying to intimidate me! Besides you're not even doing that right! There's absolutely no killing intent in this whole sea of chakra," Jiraiya fired back, eying the boy with cocky and condescending eye.

_If this child is even half of Minato's son then he should be well over the deep end now, _Jiraiya thought amused as there was now a _very _noticeable edge of ki into the boy's chakra.

"Oh really? You mustn't be that good of a Sanin if you can't see something this _abnormal_ even if it's right in front of you. That chakra floating around is my _Junshuu Chakra_, and I've had it for as long as I can remember. I don't need to expel it as its already there, and if I wanted to I could probably cut you into tiny pieces with just as much as a simple thought," Naruto bluffed, knowing his elemental manipulation was no where near that level. Jiraiya knew it was well, but hid that fact very well.

_So that's what the boy calls it… Junshuu Chakra, not as inspired as Minato's name for it but it fits the description well enough. Naruto's seems denser than Minato's, maybe it's because his was activated so much earlier than his father's. Hell I don't even think 'Minato' discovered his ability until a he was a few years older than Naruto,_ Jiraiya thought while maintaining a serious expression on his face the whole time.

"Naruto are you sure you want to do that? I am a Sanin after all," Jiraiya finally said humoring the boy. Naruto seemed to catch on to the fact that Jiraiya knew he was bluffing, and with an anger huff he turned away from the infuriating Sanin.

"Why is this guy here anyway Hiashi-san?" Naruto asked politely, well as politely as it got for him.

"He's a Sanin and has the Hokage's expressed permission to go everywhere and anywhere he is welcome, which includes the homes of his…,"

"Close friends," Jiraiya cut in, while shooting Hiashi a meaningful look, they would talk later and in much detail about the confusion that was surrounding the situation. The Hyuuga Head caught on rather quickly and managed to give a convincing nod to his daughter and nephew that Jiraiya was telling the truth.

"Does that include the bathhouse?" Naruto asked sarcastically.

"I'll have you know I am welcome in many bathhouses around the world, and when I grace them with my presence they don't stampede like wild animals or let annoying brats in," Jiraiya countered sardonically.

"I'm guessing Konoha isn't one of these imaginary places then," Naruto shot back. Score Naruto 1: Jiraiya 0.

"Whatever kid, believe what you want, but I'm going back to the spa. I have some more research to do," Jiraiya said before leaving with a perverted grin. If he knew his son and daughter half as well as he thought he did, then that would be more than enough to predict their children's reactions.

"We have to stop him!"

"Haku's waiting for us at the spa!" the two shouted to one another before sprinting off, leaving a chuckling Hiashi in their wake.

_Jiraiya always knew how to get people to follow after him,_ the Hyuuga Head thought as he stared at a picture of his deceased wife. The mere though of her always brought him comfort, and staring into her blonde hair and blue eyes seemed to quell the storm that was rage inside him.

_You were right love, Jiraiya did come back eventually now I just have to wait until Tsunade comes back,_ Hiashi concluded with a smile before going back to his paperwork.

Five Minutes Later…

"Look young lady, I'm only here to do research now if you just let me pass I'll be happily along my way," Jiraiya said for the third time, his patience seriously dwindling for the young brunette in front of him.

"You think I'm a fool, I saw what you were doing earlier. You're lucky I don't let Hokage in on your little research right now, on second thought I'm sure he's be interested in knowing what you've been up to," Haku threatened carefully as she eyed the man before her. He could tell he was powerful, that much was evident in the way he carried himself, but something told him he could be trusted aside from the feminine side in her demanding she crush him for his perversion.

"Haku-chan back away from that pervert, I don't want him anywhere near you," a familiar voice called from behind the white haired sage. As quick as a kunai Naruto darted in front of Haku, standing protectively between her and Jiraiya, not once noticing the blush on the older girl's face form his actions.

Not aware of his protective and slightly embarrassing actions Naruto just continued to glare at the Sanin until the man felt obligated to give the boy something… even if it was a lie.

"Look kid I was just here to do research. See, _RESEARCH_!!" Jiraiya said emphasizing the last part loudly while shaking a few pieces of blank paper in front him to prove his point. Not realizing how special the paper was until they were stolen from right out of his hand my one incredible sly Hyuuga, Jiraiya paled slightly as the three in front of him where now clutching his last three pieces of affinity identifying paper.

_Buying another set will cost me a fortune!_ Jiraiya cried internally as he watched the three figured out what was 'written' on them.

"I can't read it. Maybe the ink is hidden and it needs chakra to reveal what it says," Hinata suggested before all three of them began channeling chakra into the paper.

As expected of an _Aisu _clan member, Haku's piece immediately turned to ice, startling the girl slightly thus making her drop the delicate piece of chakra infused paper and shattering it. Noticing the reaction the older kunoichi's chakra had on the paper a tad to late, both of the genin were stuck watching in awe as their paper's transformed as well.

Hinata's changed first, due to her chakra control better sorting her chakra for the test to read, and her paper crumpled harshly before it began to moisten from each of the lines.

_Two elements! And to be for one so young,_ Jiraiya thought surprised while staring at the seemingly useless piece of paper. Turning his attention to Naruto when he heard a rip, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a small about of pride when he saw that Naruto's paper was split in half. Reminiscing on his times with his 'biological' son, Jiraiya was hardly prepared for two saplings to sprout from Naruto's split pieces of paper that were lying almost innocently on the ground. Too much information rushed to the Sanin's head at once, and ironically the old man pulled a Hinata and fainted.

"I think ruining his notes may have killed him girls," Naruto said with a chuckle while staring down at the sleeping Sanin.

Read and Review

Author's Note: Well it's been a long, long break and I apologize for making you guys wait so long. Know this is the unedited, raw version (wanted to get it out asap), so please forgive me for mistakes. I could go on to complain about work life, and college preparations but all that would be bullshit. So I'll go with the truth I was being incredibly lazy, and it took me to re-read my work and fall in love with it all over again for me to finally come to my senses and get this baby back on track. Enough about me, I'm sure you all have questions especially since I dropped not one but two bombs on you this chapter. Think of it as my gift to you for making you wait so long. Chao and remember the only dumb question is the one, unasked (or one that can be answered by common sense lol).

Black Saint

P.S. I fixed that pesky plot hole with the Kazekage from a few chapter's back (Ch. 9 I believe) and if you go back and re-read that section I think you'll be in for a surprise (and a bit of foreshadowing on another twist I have planned cue maniacal laughter).

P.P.S Do note that I will be updating Black Shikon next as well as Gift Of Fire after that (look out for that one I think it'll be pretty good). Well till then it 'twas a pleaasure...


	16. And So The Training Begins

"": Spoken

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts _

""**: Spirits **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know, I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

**Note: By the end of this chapter a few things will come to light that aren't canon, but hey I've been AU for a while now so bare with me. So I'll repeat this fic is AU and things are bound to be different. **

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously...

_Two elements! And to be for one so young,_ Jiraiya thought surprised while staring at the seemingly useless piece of paper. Turning his attention to Naruto when he heard a rip, Jiraiya couldn't help but feel a small about of pride when he saw that Naruto's paper was split in half. Reminiscing on his times with his 'biological' son, Jiraiya was hardly prepared for two saplings to sprout from Naruto's split pieces of paper that were lying almost innocently on the ground. Too much information rushed to the Sanin's head at once, and ironically the old man pulled a Hinata and fainted.

"I think ruining his notes may have killed him girls," Naruto said with a chuckle while staring down at the sleeping Sanin.

Ch. 16: And So The Training Begins…

Jiraiya was an old ninja. At the wizened age of fifty he had seen much of the shinobi world, a claim not many others could make. In his time he had fought against shinobi from every hidden village, grown to a level strength only a Kage could match, and had seen wonders in the shinobi world that would make even veteran jonin stop and stare with utter fascination. One of those wonders was the power of his village's Hokages, and the one that came to mind was the Nidaime.

The Nidaime was sly man and like his elemental natures he could adapt to any situation like water, while at the same time strike his enemies with a burning vindication that matched the fury of lightning. Despite all of that the Nidaime was a gentle man, and that gentleness passed down to one of his heirs'. That heir was Hinata, the Hyuuga Heiress, whose voice was currently rousing Jiraiya from his private reverie. Cracking one eye open, Jiraiya peered at the trio of children before him, two of which who were quietly bickering between one another.

"Naruto I can't take this! You have a match in a month and without it over half of your arsenal will be useless to you!" the young girl argued, pushing the amulet back into Naruto hands. The blond looked down at the thing with a scowl, almost as if contemplating the right words to say. A moment passed and worry lines in the blond's forehead deepened ever so slightly, just like Minato's did whenever something particularly bothered him, Jiraiya soon realized.

"Hinata-chan this is all you have left of your mother. Yeah I know this thing is half mine, but have you seen my face?! I am a mirror image of my father, and if I do say so myself just as handsome, but every time I look in the mirror I get to see him…," Naruto countered adding a wistful tone to his words. The dark haired girl signed heavily before a smile crept onto her features.

_He always knows how to make me feel better, but I wish it did have to come down to this… Two children fighting over the last thing their parents left them. Although I suppose this wouldn't be the typical argument seeing as we both a fighting to give one another our heirloom, rather than fighting over who it belongs to,_ Hinata thought as she accepted the talisman. The pendent glowed eerily and although it wasn't enough to distract her or catch the eye of an enemy, it was more than enough for her always be reminded of his presence as if it carried some sentience of her mother.

It was then Hinata truly realized how much the pendent meant to her, and without a second thought she engulfed her cousin, no brother, into a hug. Naruto was shocked for a moment by the sudden display of affection, but after a knowing smile from Haku he return the hug knowing that Hinata would accept it even if she didn't want to.

"Thank you Naru-kun," Hinata whispered into the blonde's jacket

"You're welcome Hina-chan," he replied above the girl's ear, and with that they parted ready to move onto their next problem.

"Now with that solved I just have to figure how I'm going to defeat Neji. Gai-sensei said that a high-speed taijutsu combo would be the best strategy, but currently I have neither the speed nor the technique to actually accomplish that. Plus Neji is a practitioner of _Jyuuken_ and if sparring with Hinata's taught me anything, it's that getting close to a _Jyuuken _user is damn near suicide," Naruto rattled off. He already had a clear objective in mind, but no real means to get there. Luckily however the keys to his success were closer than he thought.

"You forgot to mention that Neji is best _Jyuuken_ user to be ever seen in a century, and that he spars regularly with protégé of one of the greatest taijutsu users to ever grace Konoha, Rock Lee, who is rumored to be almost as fast as his sensei," a voice from below cut in. Looking down to see Jiraiya, sprawled out in a relaxed position idly taking notes down on his notepad, the teens suppressed a sigh as they had forgotten about the previously unconscious pervert beneath them.

"Yeah, yeah all that stuff is great but it isn't helping me get any closer to my goal. And besides how do you know so much old man? Is stalking genin another hobby of yours, or are peeping and writing perverted novels the only ones?" Naruto asked sardonically, much to the ire of his 'undiscovered' grandfather.

"Quiet gaki or I'll reconsider helping you with your predicament," Jiraiya quipped with mock anger, and much to his surprise Naruto shut up on the spot. The blond was in desperate need of a trainer, and although he hated to say it Jiraiya was a 'Legendary' Sanin making him at least good for that. Besides poking fun at a person just enough to keep them teetering on their temper's edge was more fun than making a person explode, plus it took a lot more skill to know when to back off and come back for more while still getting what you want.

"I'm all ears 'Oh Mighty Sanin', your teaching methods alone should assure me my victory," Naruto mocked with thick sarcasm, which didn't go unnoticed by Jiraiya. But instead of blowing his top the Toad Sage just stood proudly, half because it annoyed the hell out of Naruto, whose joke backfired, and half because the brat's words reminded him so much of his son.

"You damn right gaki, but knowing your stupidity you may even be able to mess this up even with my help," Jiraiya shot back, having turned the tides on Naruto. In a strange way they both were _subconsciously_ playing the same game, only thing was neither of them realized they were doing.

"Yeah right Ero-sanin, let's just get on with the lesson! We're burning daylight here!" Naruto demanded, not knowing the parallel he had just drawn with his father. Hard work, determination, and more guts than he knew what to do with. Those were the things that made up Uzumaki Naruto, and once more those were the things that made up Namikaze Minato. They were father and son, but more so they were kindred spirits of different ages.

_This kid is going to be great…, _was all Jiraiya could think before a smirk crossed his features. He would make sure of it…

---

"Again!" the old man cried as the blond sweated profusely while going through numerous handseals. The loss of his pentacle, and subsequently his _Chakra Shokkou_, had left him with only his kenjutsu, _Junshuu Chakra_, and taijutsu. Not a winning combination when going up against the previous years Rookie of the Year, and currently the strongest Leaf genin. So to make up for the loss Jiraiya reintroduced him, along with Hinata and Haku, to normal jutsu. Of the three only Hake was adept at forming handseals, as Naruto had neglected that type of ninjutsu in favor of seal-less ones, while Hinata favored _Jyuuken_ and its variants over any other combat style. This wasn't to say they were inept at normal jutsu it was just they weren't exactly up to par, and with Sanin guiding them that was totally unacceptable.

"Faster! You think an enemy will wait that long for you to finish a simple jutsu?" Jiraiya asked mocking as he tossed a handful of shuriken at his two lagging students. Although not directly aimed at them, the flying stars had served their purpose and broke the two's concentration those causing them to slip up on the water walking and fall into the hot springs. Spring up with an indignant cry, the two soaking genin glared at Jiraiya for all they were worth. It had been the tenth time he had done that.

"Well it is a C-ranked jutsu, you said it yourself! So how are you expecting us to finish the jutsu at the same time as you while your standing on solid ground and we're forced to water walk?!" Naruto cried out, plainly sick and tired of the Sanin's criticism.

"Easily, you get better. What you brats don't seem to realize is I've been around the world, I seen so many places, and let me tell you kid you have it nice in Konoha!" Jiraiya meant this tentatively as Naruto probably had the worst life of all of the citizens in the great village. However that was a far cry from what other jinchuriki endured, and compared to some other village's Naruto life may have seemed like a dream to even its normal inhabitants!

"Really!? I doubt you can image what I've been through…," Naruto commented sullenly as he climbed out of the spring. He wouldn't yell at Jiraiya for it would take the meaning out of his point, but his words impacted both of them profoundly. Jiraiya knew he had been baiting the reaction, and he only had himself to blame. However if he let Naruto go out into the world, into the battle Konoha would _soon_ be up against, and his grandson died… Well the sanin didn't want to think what he'd do, let alone how he'd feel.

"No I can't but there are millions in this world who have faced similar situations, and I'm positive there are eight other people out there that could understand you perfectly…," Jiraiya said as he drew a curious look from the last surviving _Hyoton_ user. Naruto, and to some degree, Hinata realized what he was talking about and neither of them really wanted to get into that just yet. So with a suffocating silent the three continued to train, Jiraiya's comments being more subdued and constructive, while Naruto's biting comebacks seemed duller and less animated. Overall the rest of the session dragged on until the Sanin said he had someplace to be, leaving without some much as a juvenile joke from Naruto. With the sanin gone, the three soon gave up on the jutsu. They hadn't made too much headway but then again it was only the first day, but that was the last thing on their minds as all three of them kept replaying the argument Naruto and Jiraiya had been in only a mere two hours earlier.

"So is anyone going to explain what happened or am I going to be left in the dark forever?" Haku asked being uncharacteristically blunt about the whole situation. She had been dropping hints the whole training session waiting for someone, whether it was Naruto, Hinata, or Jiraiya, to explain what they meant about Naruto leading a hard life but everyone was tight lipped about it. She supposed that it could have been a very sensitive subject, but for some reason Haku's curiosity could not be quelled. It was as if she had to know so that she could help, or at least try to remove that melancholy aura that hung over Naruto like a rain cloud.

"Haku-chan it's very complicated. It's not that we don't want to tell you, but…,"

"It's alright Hina-chan I'll explain myself," Naruto cut in giving the girl a significant look. He had long since realized that Hinata must have found out about Kyuubi, especially since she witnessed his episode in the forest with his darker half. However what neither of them realized was that the Kyuubi had been vanquished and what was sealed within him was a new entity, one even more powerful than the Kyuubi itself.

"What you're about to here is a village secret, one that cannot be uttered under the penalty of death," Naruto started before giving each girl a significant look. Hinata nodded seriously, realizing that there was more to the story than what she was able to peace together. Haku, however was now regretting ever asking, not because she worried for her own life. No if it was Naruto who she was worried about, and if he got into trouble or worse, was put to death because of her. Well she didn't know what she'd do!

"Don't worry Haku-chan, this is my secret and only the Hokage and I have the authority to tell it freely. Thirteen years ago Fire Country was ravaged by its greatest enemy, the Kyuubi. My father the Fourth Hokage, sacrificed his life to power a seal that not only sent the Kyuubi's soul back to Makai, but left it's power with my to ensure that it could never return," Naruto explained. As expected Hinata took in the information without batting an eye, seeing as she either pieced it together from prior knowledge or witnessed first hand. Naruto's power was nothing to sneeze at but it was unnatural at times and this explained it, but there was also that being for the forest… Hinata involuntarily shivered, at the thought of that wretched chakra.

"However that did not leave marked as a pariah in my village. No one understood the Fourth's seal in detail, not even the Hokage, so when the council began to ask questions… Well Jiji-san couldn't give them anything other than the Fourth's assurances that the seal was stable. Needless to say it wasn't enough, and like I said before I spent the first few years of my life in isolation. It wasn't until a murder attempt did Jiji-san step up my education, so I could better control my power and hopefully gain some of the villagers trust. The plan worked about half way, I gain partial control and partial acceptance however I still have a long way to go until my goals are complete," Naruto finished thinking about however far he had come. He now had friends, family, but most of all he had people who understood him for who he was and not what he represented.

_He's like me, and yet at the same time someone completely different. Despite all his pain he's managed to still strive to be the same person. Is that something I can say I did…,_ Haku thought leaving her question to dangle in her mind. She had indeed changed, but as her changes came to mind she could honestly say that they were for the better. Smiling slightly Haku eyed the boy, no man, who had made it all possible and sense of gratitude washed over her. She owed Naruto so much, not just for being a friend but for just being him.

---

"Well he's definitely like his mother," Jiraiya cut in from behind the Hokage. Normally entering the old warrior's office was impossible by the means of shunshin; however Jiraiya was no normal shinobi. Being an expert in not only the field of sage jutsu but seals as well, breaking into the Hokage office was as simple as a task as picking a lock to the Toad Sage.

"And you are definitely trying my nerves. Haven't I told you to at least knock, and by that I mean at least announce your presence," the Hokage responded gruffly. It was normal for the two to go on like this; the nonsensual banter between the two had always been their best form of communication seeing as neither of them were good with the heart to heart stuff.

"Right right, but that wouldn't be a problem if you weren't so old. I swear it's about time you picked a successor," Jiraiya commented, his barb drawing a dubious look from the Sarutobi head. No one had been more devastated by the Fourth's death than the Toad Hermit himself, part of which was because he wasn't even there to aid his son but mostly because he knew if he'd been there the Fourth would have still been alive as he would have performed the Shiki Fuin himself.

"Strange words… But in a time like this I fear that they may hold more true than I wish to believe," the Hokage replied, feeling a cold air seep into his bones. Omens like that were popping up around him all day, but for the sake of his village he would have to weather the storms to come otherwise they were all doomed to drown in its apocalyptic fury.

"Don't be such a downer you old ape, you still have five maybe even ten years left in you. Certainly enough to see that wily Fire Guard of a son you have get married and maybe even enough to see Naruto succeed you," Jiraiya offered jokingly as a few memories cluttered his mind's eye.

"I hope as much. That Yuhi girl has fine potential; I haven't seen anyone put Asuma in his place like that since his mother passed, and as for Naruto, he holds my highest hopes for Konoha's future," Sarutobi recounted as a smile played on his face. The cold in his bones seemed to thaw at the warm thoughts and for the first time in a few weeks, the Hokage felt as if a burden had finally been lifted off his shoulders.

"You have good reason too, the boy catches on quickly. I sure you already know if his _Reiki_, interesting name he choose for it to. _Junshuu Chakra… _but I guess it makes sense from one point of view; but whatever you call it one thing is evident, the kids got talent, because from what he's told me he's had it activated since he was a child. A child! Minato didn't even activate his until he was fourteen! And even then it took him over a year to get half as good as Naruto is right now. Good thing too because it took over another two years for Minato to complete that _Urate _(Reversing) technique of his. Personally I think with some effort Naruto can get it down to a usable level by the end of the month," Jiraiya concluded quizzically as if running some unknown numbers in his head.

"You have a frightening amount of confidence in someone so young Jiraiya, try not to overload him for you may alter his life forever," Sarutobi warned after he recalling the memory of his traitorous student.

"No need to tell me that, but I have the utmost faith in the kid's moral backbone. He is his father's son by the way, but what's more he takes after his mother and grandmother more than anything," Jiraiya commented with a laugh.

"That he is… He seems to take the worse in both of them too. He's stubborn as a mule and has a pranking streak as vast as the Hokage's monument. All things considered that may be a good thing for Konoha, because someone as stubborn as that will never defect or give up, even if he pranks the hell out of all of us," the Hokage added with a chuckle.

"You're telling me, but that's not what I meant, well not entirely… Naruto may have gotten all the bad of both Tsunade-hime and Kushina-chan, but he also got their good as well. The boy picks things up like Kushina, possibly even faster, and he inherited the one thing Tsunade didn't get from her grandfather," Jiraiya replied with a chuckle as well.

"You can't mean…,"

"Yes the boy's a Mokuton user. Good thing too, seeing as all he relied on was his _Reiki_ (Spirit Aura) and kenjutsu. Strangely enough he's aligned to wind as well, but in a sense that would be the Minato in him just showing up in one more place," Jiraiya mused as the Hokage sat reveling in shock at the secret he'd just been giving privy to. 

"To think there was another right here in the village?" the Hokage mutter cryptically, before turning his attention back to Jiraiya. This changed everything, because if Naruto could learn to harness the powers of wood, the thought of a demon invading Konoha during the Chunin Exam may not be such a daunting task after all.

"Naruto will need to be at least schooled in the uses of _Reiki_. I know Minato wanted him to learn at his own pace, and he will, but at least set him in the right direction towards the Hiraishin," the Hokage stated, looking Jiraiya dead in his eyes.

"Yeah yeah I already planned on doing that along with getting the boy up to speed with some standard ninjutsu and kenjutsu. I know Minato specifically stated not to let Naruto have the complete Hiraishin and _Reiki _scrolls until he was at least chunin, but the boy was hardly a ninja when I started working with him. Plus his kenjutsu needs heavy refining, that Momochi character may have stamped out many flaws and drilled a swordsman's instinct into the boy's head but he's nowhere near as component as Minato was at his age," Jiraiya stated as he crossed his arms and sent an accusing glare to his former sensei.

Not wanting the conversation to break down into an argument as it had last time, the old Monkey sage merely raised his hands in self defense slightly appeasing the irate Sanin.

"Yes I know his glaring lack of capabilities could have been easily fixed by myself when he was younger, but too much power and the boy may have been corrupted like Orochimaru was. That is a mistake one only has to make once, and I will not allow a man like Minato have his honor smeared because of my negligence to his child," the Hokage replied. His words caused Jiraiya to physical uncoil his tension, a gesture that put the monkey man at ease.

"Too true, but with the odds the boy will currently be facing his shinobi education needs to be revamped, and as quickly as possible. I've already talked to Fukasaku and he's willing to help the boy recreate his kenjutsu style as well as help integrate it into that taijutsu style. Ninjutsu wise we'll have to rush a bit and skip a few of the basic water, earth, and wind jutsu but I'm confident Naruto will be able to pick up the slack with the help of some shadow clones. In the mean while can you get Tenzou to give the boy a hand with learning wood jutsu! That man is the only other one capable of teaching Naruto, and the sooner he learns to control wood, the sooner we can form a plan to deal with this Shukaku threat," Jiraiya explained, rather well informed on Konoha's current situation. The Chunin Exams were always a moment of weakness for any shinobi village, and given the enemies Konoha had made over the past few years, an attack now would fit favorably with Orochimaru and his newly formed village.

"I'll pull some strings with the Anbu department, however I've noticed both Haku and Hinata have found themselves under your wing. What do you have planned for those two young ladies as Naruto trains?" the Sandaime asked. This upcoming battle would be the greatest challenge the new generation of shinobi would face thus far, with that on the forefront of his mind Sarutobi had to take steps to ensure they were ready.

"Haku is a competent medic so I've already requested a B-rank mission for her to oversee the whole training process. However after that I doubt she'll stick around any longer, seeing as she till has duties at the hospital. As for Hinata, I've already spoken with Hiashi and he's agreed to let Hinata begin learning her mother's art," Jiraiya stated causing the Hokage to sputter into his pipe.

"Do you honestly think she's ready for that?! Her mother didn't even being experimenting with natural chakra and it's applications until her was well into teens, and even then she struggled with it as much as Minato did with his _Reiki_," the Hokage countered wondering what the Sanin could be think.

The reason for the Hokage's hesitance was well founded however. The art Namikaze Umi utilized was incredibly deadly, both to the victim as well as the user, if the wielder was improperly trained. Her power, which drew from the very forces of nature around her, allowed her to utilize natural chakra, energy several times more potent that human chakra. The key indicator of its power was the fact that natural chakra could be seen visible once gathered if the user so wished it, and in that level of potency Umi was able to create a whole new form a combat which would be a painful reminder of past failures to any of the nations who would be fighting against it.

"I know the risks well, as will Hinata, however with this upcoming battle she will need as many advantages as she can get in order to survive," Jiraiya explained steeling his resolve. As dangerous as the training could be, the old man had faith, for if anyone could do it, it was his granddaughter.

"True, true and I suppose me holding you here won't be helping with your current predicament," the Hokage commented lightly, dismissing Jiraiya in a cordial tone.

"Glad you understand," Jiraiya said as he climbed halfway out of the Hokage's window. Sparing one last glance at the man, Jiraiya could tell that the Hokage was worried. Not just for his grandchildren, or the current shinobi youth; no the old Monkey Sage was worried about every individual soul that resided within his village. Such a solemn duty earned the respect of his student, and with that on his mind Jiraiya left the Hokage's office hoping to ease a bit of the man's burden.

---

"Goddamnit!" Naruto growled harshly as his bokken hit air yet again.

_What a way to start off the morning,_ Naruto joked bitterly as he managed to avoid losing his head to an open palm strike. His target, the ever elusive Hinata, was currently making mincemeat out of him with her palm strikes that were luckily devoid of any chakra. That however did not take the sting out of her snapping blows, which curiously always found their way to his unprotected jaw.

_Maybe she's getting me back for making fun of her precious Kimi-kun earlier,_ Naruto thought, humoring himself with the image of a glaring Kimimaro and a blushing Hinata. The image was interrupted by the sharp pain of a trio of senbon cutting through his jacket and hit his sword arm's shoulder, forcing the blond boy's arm to go slack for a moment.

"Crap," was all Naruto out manage before Hinata's palm crashed into his chin, sending him toppling backward into one of the ice mirrors surrounding him.

_Maybe asking them both to spar at the same time was a bad idea,_ Naruto mused as Haku helped him to his feet; her soft smile, ebbing all the tension away. Honestly if it wasn't for the girl's serenity Naruto doubted he would have been able to tolerate half the beating they were giving him; a fact that was lost on him seeing as she was kicking the utter crap out of him.

"Thanks, I think…," Naruto said, voice his private conclusion aloud. Realizing belatedly that he had been defeated even faster than he was in their last spar Naruto felt his frustration mounting. His normal kenjutsu sensei, Zabuza, was out of the village on some sort of special mission leaving him to improvise before the most important match of his short shinobi career. Thinking of his upcoming match, Naruto couldn't help but feel as if Fate just seemed to have it out for him; seeing as not only would he be fighting the previous year's star rookie, but he would be doing it with only tai and kenjutsu. Plus given the fact that the rookie was a Hyuuga, a supposed once-in-a-centaury genius, the odds were stacked against him.

"This is so frustrating! I can't practice kenjutsu properly, and there is no way in hell I'll be able to raise my taijutsu level high enough to even stand a chance against that long haired prick, which leaves me with what ninjutsu!" Naruto ranted aloud, inadvertently sticking his foot in his mouth when he noticed Hinata's diverted gaze. Knowing full and well she was blaming herself for his current predicament, Naruto settled for seething silently rather than weighing more guilt on his cousin's conscience.

"Sounds like you are having a rough day. Maybe I should come back later," Jiraiya mused as he stepped into the clearing. Judging from the various rivets and scars in the ground; Naruto practiced kenjutsu here a lot, but from the last display of skill the boy had a long way to go.

"What now Ero-Sanin? I honestly don't have time to waste on impossible jutsu," Naruto uttered, since quite angry that he couldn't master the Suiton jutsu from before. C-class or not, Naruto had high expectations for himself, and given his current stress level those expectation may end up giving him a breakdown.

"True, true… But from the looks of it you don't have much time to be wasting on anything," Jiraiya chatted on lightly, his whimsical banter annoying Naruto even more.

"And what's that supposed to mean pervert?" Naruto asked menacingly, almost daring the Sanin to make fun of him.

"It means your opponent is going to wipe the floor with you if you continue on with the way your going. Something I doubt you, or your pride could stand, especially after making such a bold statement in the preliminaries," Jiraiya stated factual, before sidestepping Naruto rage filled swing. With speed that belied his visage, Jiraiya gripped Naruto wrists as he went of a follow up swing, noting critically that the boy had a firm grasp of the basics of kenjutsu.

_Zabuza's taught him well… Good, this should make Fukasaku's job a little easier, and take some stress off of the timetable I have planned for the boy,_ Jiraiya noted as he shot a potent dose of killing intent at the struggling boy, visibly catching his attention and ending all of his struggling.

"How do you know about that?" Naruto asked as soon as Jiraiya released him from his, surprisingly strong, grip.

"Why it's the talk of the town. I hear there's a betting pool growing as we speak, this years dead last against last years rookie of the year, and not surprisingly you're the impossible long shot," Jiraiya answered, before getting angry scowl from Naruto. Biting his tongue about the 100 to 1 odds, Jiraiya merely smirked when a mischievously gleam flickered across his grandson's eyes.

"So I guess I'll just have to prove them wrong won't I? Hey Ero-Sanin, why don't you make yourself useful and help me make some money? And who knows if I'm feeling generous I may let you in on my earnings" Naruto added cockily, readying to begin his training again.

"Well it seems you aren't totally devoid of sense, but that's not going to help you defeat that Hyuuga boy, because as it stands your only viable means of combat are his strongest areas. Couple that with the fact that he is a Hyuuga, the best of his generation thus far, you are going to need a hell of a lot more skill and one foolproof battle strategy to even think about pulling off a win," Jiraiya stated dramatically, getting a raised eyebrow from Naruto and his two female companions.

"And I'm guessing you have just what I need?' Naruto asked with mock-sarcasm as a smirking spread across his face.

"You're finally starting to think like a winner aren't you," Jiraiya replied with a smirk matching his grandson's.

"Before we begin however, Haku-san you must understand what I'm about reveal are secrets, and as such their true inner workers need to remain that way," Jiraiya utter while casting a meaningful gaze to the serene female. Nodding, Haku vowed to uphold the secrecy of whatever it was the Toad-Sage was about to show them, which in turn made them all more anxious to find out what the Sage had in store for them.

Not one to disappoint, Jiraiya visible tensed as a wave of chakra flowed out of his body and saturated the area much like Naruto's own chakra did. However unlike Naruto's chakra, Jiraiya was far less outreaching but in turn the Sanin's chakra was far more refined; because unlike Naruto's, which sat in the air like an invisible cloud, Jiraiya's seemed to filter into the earth making the rich soil beneath them hum with life.

"What are you doing old man? Are you trying to recreate my _Junshuu Chakra _or something?' Naruto asked curiously.

"Yes and no, because you see your _Junshuu Chakra _is actually an unrefined version of the Fourth's _Reiki_ which I am showing you now," Jiraiya stated with visible effort, as the strain of maintain of field of chakra began to take its toll on him. The ground around him groaned quietly before breaking away leaving a purplish liquid under the toad Sanin. Now isolated from the Sanin by a poison moat; Naruto, Hinata, and Haku watched with morbid fascination as the dislodged chunks of earth were literally dissolved by the miasmic substance.

"Wh-what was that!? There's no way that's what the real application of _Junshuu_, er _Reiki _is!" Naruto exclaimed stumbling on the foreign term. As petty as it was Naruto was slightly attached to the name he'd given his power, but relented to the knowledge that the technique wasn't original his and should be called by its proper name.

_It being the Fourth's personal technique may have something to do with it as well, _Naruto added wryly, as he watched that last bits of green earth be eaten away before his eyes.

"No this here is the jutsu _Doton: Yomi Numa _(Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld), another technique I'll be teaching you later, _Reiki _the method in which I used that technique," Jiraiya explained as it dawned on the three. _Reiki_ allowed its user to complete jutsu without the use of handseals! That revelation blew the three away as the true implications of the technique set in. To utilize jutsu without handseals was a huge advantage over an opponent, because not only did it save time in execution, but it also was completely unpredictable and thus incredibly deadly. 

"I see you realized what actually happened, and yes you are correct the _Reiki_ allows the user to seallessly perform jutsu, which as you realized is a godsend for any shinobi. However that particular ability only works with jutsu the user has explicitly mastered, for the user still has to mold the chakra, albeit via the chakra surrounding them rather than their hands. However this is where the Kage Bunshin comes in," Jiraiya lead on, as the three realized the potency of the combination. If one hundred clones worked on mastering every aspect of a jutsu for a little more than an hour it would be as if the real user spent for straight days dealing with just that one jutsu. Plenty of time to get the chakra mechanics of most techniques down pat, however that left the battle usage and general experience to the wayside but compared to the strengths the drawbacks seemed more than affordable.

"Incredible… Everyone said dad, I mean the Yondaime was a genius, but this far outstrips anything I could have thought of doing," Naruto uttered in awe as his mind's eye got a glimpse of what type of man his father was.

"Yes, but the reason it was so effective was because it was such a closely guarded secret. The whole world knew about the Fourth's unbeatable Hiraishin and Rasengan combination and planned out whole strategies around countering those single techniques. Minato-kun knew this and merely set a trap around their trap, and by using their intel against them, hordes of enemies ran into their demise because they were too caught up trying to defend against one technique when an entirely different one was poised to take their life," Jiraiya said, slipping slightly when he called the Fourth by his birth name. Untold amounts of affection and pride could be heard in Jiraiya's voice and despite the time since his passing, the Toad Sage still held a place for his blond son in his heart.

"Amazing, but what happens if someone were to see through the jutsu? Like a _Sharingan _or _Byakugan_ user?" Hinata asked curious to how the legendary Yellow Flash countered techniques of his own village. Not that he would need to, but it was a known fact that in his later years the Yondaime was the strongest in the village with maybe the exception of the Hokage.

"For the _Sharingan_ the Fourth used an advanced form of the _Shunshin _(Body Flicker), which he called _Shunpo_ (Flash Steps). Basically the Fourth streamlined his version that it worked instantaneously within his _Reiki_, while at the same time cleaning it up so much that any residual chakra that the _Sharingan _could use it to track him was hidden within the chakra that cloaked the area," Jiraiya revealed, making the kid's eyes widen again. All three, though through different means, studied the _Sharingan_ intensely; Naruto because of his intense rivalry with Sasuke, Hinata because of the Hyuuga's standing with the Uchiha, and Haku because of her last mission with Zabuza. Each of their research lead them to one fact, not being seen by the _Sharingan _was the key to defeating it. Somehow the Yondaime, Naruto's father, had managed that and what's more Naruto had the tools to do the same.

"As for the Hyuuga, the Fourth realized despite the misgivings the best way to completely beat a Hyuuga was by going head to head," Jiraiya stated with a straight face, much to the contrast of those around him. A chorus of voiced disbelief was followed, and it took the hanging threat of the Sanin reading his novel in order for the three to be quiet long enough for Jiraiya to finish explaining.

"Yes I thought the same, but his logic behind it was like this. The Hyuuga spend all their time perfecting their taijutsu, which is true for the most part. So by trumping their strongest tool, he figured they were basically defeated," Jiraiya rationalized causing the three to come around.

"Easier said than done, _Jyuuken _is legendary around the world, and is claimed to be one of the oldest and strongest taijutsu styles of all the elemental countries," Hinata countered; her strict family schooling rearing its poised, dignified, but _incredibly arrogant_ head.

"Yes true, but the not only was the Fourth is the home of _Jyuuken_, a place where he could spar against the style without fear of being killed, but his sister was dating the best _Jyuuken_ user of his generation. There were many of days were Minato and Hiashi would be battling it out, both working to perfect their own taijutsu style. From those workouts the Fourth came up with _Urate_ (Reversing), which is basically his anti-_Jyuuken_ technique. _Urate _is quite simple, for it simply does what the name implies and reverse the flow of the _Reiki_. However in doing so two very important things occur: one being that the users speed, power, and chakra pressure all skyrocket, and two the user's tenketsu become virtually unsealable," Jiraiya finished, and unsurprisingly he found the three in shock once again.

"Un-unsealable! To do that, the fourth's tenketsu would have to be…," Hinata started at the implication became clearer and clearer.

"Always brimmed with chakra, and they were because he was reversing the flow of his chakra, basically reabsorbing his overflowing chakra and thus becoming surprisingly more efficient. The only downfall was his chakra control fluctuates with the change, so techniques were harder to pull while using _Urate_," the Jiraiya, finished before all eyes were on Naruto.

This was it; this was his answer to his current dilemma! Not only would he solve his problem of how to approach his match against Neji, but with the _Reiki_ he would also be able to fill in the gaps in his ninjutsu and taijutsu he'd suffered throughout his career as a shinobi. Only thing that was left to say was, if he'd be able to get up to speed in time for the Chunin Exam?

"So when do I start?" Naruto asked as his grin became feral at the challenge. A month may not be a lot of time, but he was planning on making the utmost out of it.

"Now," Jiraiya uttered back before delving some of his chakra into a summoning jutsu. The telltale marks of summoning kanji littered the ground around him, and with an eruption of smoke both Jiraiya and the creature he'd summoned were obscured from view.

"Jiraiya-chan what have I said about summoning me without telling me before hand?! I have half a mind to reverse summon you at 'seemingly random' times, just to see how you like it," a sagely voice bickered, obviously angry at his abrupt 'house call'.

"Yeah, yeah I know I'm supposed to call ahead, but for the record I don't think you won't be too displeased with the reason I called you out here," Jiraiya explained sheepishly. To the young listeners it was down right eerie to hear someone of Jiraiya's strength and status be spoken to as if he were no more than a green eared genin; and what's more it was a summon doing, which only added to the list of strange things the three had encountered.

_I thought summons were supposed to be obedient to their summoner,_ was the collective thought the three were sharing, and the situation only got stranger when the three laid eyes on the summon which stood about half way up to their shins.

"What could possibly be that great that I… Minato-kun…," the toad stopped half way mouth hanging open just as wide as the disbelieving children staring at him. From the tiny toad, it was as if he were staring into his past, for the blond in front of him was the exact replica of his last disciple.

"No Fukasaku, that is Minato-kun's son, Uzumaki Naruto," Jiraiya corrected warmly, heartened by the disbelieving look the toad was giving the boy. Although they hadn't trained for the more than a few weeks; Fukasaku, had grown attached to the blond Hokage just as everyone else from the toad clan had. However to hear that their beloved summoner had a child, and he wasn't informed was like a slap in the face to the elder amphibian.

"Why wasn't I told that _he_ of all people had a child!? You know the prophesy as well as I do Jiraiya…," but before Fukasaku could continue, a piercing gaze from the Toad Sanin shut him up. It was then that the sage toad realized Jiraiya hadn't known; a fact that was probably eating at the Sanin as they spoke. Keeping that fact in the back of his mind, Fukasaku stared back at the shinobi with an appraising eye, belatedly realizing that these were one of those times when the Toad Clan's little 'Jiraiya-chan' actually showed his age and experience and demanded the respect he deserve. Idly noting that just a glance, devoid of any killing intent or glamour of similar nature, was enough to invoke that sort of respect out of him; and from that Fukasaku came to realize the graveness of the situation.

"He doesn't know, does he Jiraiya? _You_ didn't know either, right?" Fukasaku asked in a quieter voice, knowing his vague question wouldn't be interpreted by the eavesdropping genin around them.

"No, to both of them, but for the time being we'll have to work around that and merely get him ready for the future?" Jiraiya explained before getting a nod from sage summon. Turning his appraising gaze to the on looking blond, Fukasaku let a smile grace his features. This was going to be fun…

"So Naruto, I am Fukasaku as little Jiraiya said before, Elder to the Toad Clan of Summons and will be teaching the ways of _Gamaken_ (Frog Fist)," the tiny toad explained before laughter erupted from said blond.

"You are going to teach me! What how to not get eat by things or how about 'how to avoid getting my ass stomped on'!" Naruto joked loudly much to the embarrassment of everyone else around him. Despite their obvious tact regarding the current situation, both Hinata and Haku were curious to how Fukasaku would be able to teach the blonde given their current 'size' difference.

"Hmmm you definitely don't have your father's sense of poise, but I guess not everyone can take after him other wise the world would be far too talented of a place for the likes of you. I guess you took after your tomboy mother, for you certainly get your manners from her," Fukasaku replied coolly, while casting a daring eye to the now pissed-off Naruto. Not waiting for any apology or explanation, the blond launched himself at the toad, a task he found quite hard given the creatures meager stature, however in a display of skill belying is size or age; Fukasaku blocked Naruto's incoming fist with his wooden cane hidden by his cape before, in one clean motion, tripped the boy up with the said staff.

Tumbling across the unforgiving earth before landing in an undignified heap, Naruto merely growled out 'lucky shot', before charging the toad again, this time surprised that the aged amphibian went on the offensive as well. Blocking Naruto's incoming fist with one hand before cocking back another, Fukasaku sent a haymaker that'd make even Tsunade jealous right into Naruto unprotected jaw. Following the nasty crunch and sympathetic wince from both his female companions Naruto found himself flat on his back staring up at a rather bemused toad.

"Haven't had that much fun since meeting your father! Albeit he took his beating with a bit less dignity, seeing as I used the same 'taunt Kushina' speech on him as well, who was for the record a kind and beautiful young lady despite he blunt personality. Yes she was a firecracker that one, perfect suit for the stiff like your father, but enough on them. Do you now understand the strength of _Gamaken_?" Fukasaku asked seriously, before getting a humbled nod out of Naruto. After that last punch, the blond realized he wouldn't be talking back to the tiny toad for a long time.

"Good because your going to need every once of your _Reiki_ to master it, but before we start, Jiraiya don't you think its time to get Hinata-chan started on her training as well?" Fukasaku asked, startling the Sanin out of his laughter.

"Right! I completely forgot about that, I guess watching Naruto take a beating like his father was too funny for me to miss," Jiraiya joked, getting a frigid glare from his downed student. Ignoring the gaze without some much as flinch, Jiraiya turned his attention to his other grandchild and mentally prepared himself for the speak he was about to give. Although less diverse, Hinata's training would be undoubtedly more deadly than Naruto's. But if the girl was anything like her mother, than this training would only be the first step for her.

"Hinata I know you are wondering what Fukasaku could've meant by your training as well. So to be blunt, your mother was much more than the kind house wife that you'd known her as during her time alive with you. No Namikaze Umi had earned a reputation as fierce if not fierce than her legendary brother and was heralded as the Kuinshi (1), or Priestess of Destruction; which in the Cloud is a name held in as much fear and respect as her brother's is in the Stone," Jiraiya voiced with a clear tone of pride and affection in his voice. While Minato was his son and pride, Umi was his daughter and love, and emotions always ran deep when he spoke of her. In fact it was her death, and the implied loss of his granddaughter, that severed his last ties to the village. He'd only returned out of duty to the Old Man, a decision he was coming to appreciate more and more as time passed on. Yes, staring into the awe-filled eyes of his granddaughter as he spoke of the wonders her mother had accomplished, was more than reason enough for him to be back in Konoha.

"… No one had ever told me about my mother before. Even Otou-sama couldn't say more than a few words without getting lost in his past. However why is it now that I am learning about all of this? Why not before when I was struggling? Why not after the Cloud's attempt on my life?! Had I known my mother was_ this_, the famed Kuinshi, I would have been able to draw more confidence for myself," Hinata retorted angrily. Her reaction although sharply contrasting to her normal nature, was expected by the Sanin. For he'd reacted similar when he found out Umi and Minato were his children, and the same still when he found out Hinata, his grandchild, was still alive. That strange parallel, which connected Hinata to him, was perhaps the reason why he was so hesitant to tell her of her mother. For whether anyone liked to admit it, Hinata had inherited much of her attitude from him…

_Hopefully she won't go chasing bishounen like her mother was when she was her age,_ Jiraiya muttered silently, unaware that his cursed perversion had already infected his poor granddaughter; and moreover that poor Kimimaro never had a chance…

"I could tell you it was because you weren't ready, or maybe because that the knowledge would damage who you were. However the truth is there is no excuse, you deserved to know who your mother was, and learning it from a stranger probably wasn't the best way to find out. However instead of mulling over the past, how about we put what your mother left you to some use," Jiraiya reasoned bitter over having to refer to himself as a stranger to his own granddaughter, however that dark inkling was quickly overridden with relief when Hinata dropped the subject for the time being. She was her mother's child, kind and caring while at the same time unwaveringly determined when set off, and by the looks of it this whole incident had set her off for a long to talk with a few important people in her life. Taking her silence as a yes Jiraiya drew a scroll from out of his jacket.

"Here this belongs to you, and to save you the trouble of having to open it just to find out what exactly made your mother so strong I'll tell you now. Her mother drew from the very world around her, channeling that natural chakra into the very pentacle you hold in your hand. The process in which she did it was incredibly dangerous, because any miscalculation with the natural chakra and she could have corroded her body into dust because of the backlash. However it was because of her control, awe worthy even by Hyuuga standards, that she was able to channel the world's chakra, an energy being roughly a hundred times more potent than human chakra. From here she could be use it for a variety of things; however your mother found it to be must effective if used like _Jyuuken_, thus your father comes in. With his help Umi was mold the chakra into a deadly style that molded the chakra into deadly arrows to pierce an opponents body," Jiraiya uttered leaving out that while all that was happening the two slowly fell for one another.

It was a fact that warmed and broke the old Sanin's heart, for his daughter fell for a boy who own fan-club put Uchiha Sasuke's fan-club to shame. It's a truth neither he nor Umi was particularly fond of, especially once they started dating; but that hidden fact only served to enforce the 'tail-chasing' gene Umi, and subsequently Hinata, had gotten from him.

"So how do I start…," Hinata mumbled after a moment, not realizing the connection she had with the man in front of her.

"It's rather simple really. You just have to be able to sit completely still," Jiraiya answered cryptically before a smile spread across his face. If Hinata was anything like Umi, she would have be able to get this training down no problem; but only after experiencing her first apocalyptic fit, a trait courtesy of her maternal grandmother.

And true to his prediction it wasn't more than twenty minutes in that the usual calm and collect Hinata began growing steadily more and more aggravated by the complexity of her exercise. Collect natural energies was the first step to synergizing sage chakra, something even veteran jonin wouldn't attempt, a fact that was lost on the irate kunoichi as she yet again failed to sense even the slightest amount of this energy she was supposed to be harnessing.

_Okay deep breathes, the scroll said complete focus has to be obtained in order too…,'_ Hinata started before losing concentration yet again. It was the one weakness all humanity had in common, curiosity. It was natural for the mind to wander, and even for the ever serene Hyuuga Heiress invoking complete stillness in body, mind, and spirit was a feat damn near impossible for her. However that fact did nothing to quell her growing irritation, so with gritted teeth she pressed on not knowing how much longer her patience would last. Chuckling at the scene, Jiraiya supposed there was some hope for the girl, seeing as she hadn't taken her anger out on any inanimate objects yet, but from growing number of pulsing tick marks on her forehead, that may change in a matter of moments. So baring that in mind the Toad Sanin made his way over to the last of the three youth's with her training firmly planted in the front of his mind.

"Haku-san now that you know of these two's training I must ask you one thing…," Jiraiya started before the dark haired female bowed deeply before him. To her his, as well as Naruto's and Hinata's, trust in her was one of her most precious commodities and as such her respect for him soared because of what he entrusted to her.

"No one will know of this Jiraiya-sama, you have my word as a kunoichi," Haku uttered gravely, fully prepared to go to the grave with the knowledge she had been granted.

"Your secrecy is appreciated, but that's not what I was going to ask. All I need to you to do is to act as a standby medical attendant for these two's training, which is mainly to make sure Naruto doesn't get too bruised up by Fukasaku and that Hinata does end up breaking anything when she finally snaps" Jiraiya said bemusedly while the ice manipulating mistress looked up at him with a face of shock.

"Of course you will be paid for you work and credited with a B-rank training mission, and I've made arrangements with the hospital about the work and training you'll be missing; so don't worry about that all the reading you will need to have done will be brought to you, and your scheduled shifts have been made to fit your mission," Jiraiya explained, knowing that the girl had planned to be here anyway. It was just this way she would be able to do something productive as well instead of working herself to the bone trying to be here and at the hospital.

"Thank you Jiraiya-sama, I accept your mission," Haku replied happily as she got back her feet and going back two the two training genins' side.

After the girl left Jiraiya disappeared as well, leaving the genin to their work so that he could focus on other more important things.

'_Now on to research, and I think I have the perfect place,'_ Jiraiya thought before heading into Konoha's red light district.

Read and Review

(1) Kuinshi is basically the Japanese annunciation of Quincy, which would look suspiciously out of place with all of the Japanese and English words being used (Quincy is Spanish for the few that don't know). So to clear up any later confusion, just bare that Kuinshi and Quincy are the same just spelled differently.

Author's Note: I apologize for the wait, but for some reason a majority of this chapter kept eluding me. However it probably was for the best, because now I have a definite plan on how exactly the chunin exam will true out, and trust me by the end you won't be disappointed.

In regards to this chapter however, I feel it is somewhat of a filler because: A) It's me reorganizing Naruto's techniques and somewhat setting him up for how combat will be for the remainder of the fic and B) not too much happened this chapter. So once again I apologize for the lateness as well as the filler crap, but hopefully a bit of my lame humor got you through the chapter (and if not feel free to flame, because I finally found my flameproof poncho).

Anyway stay tuned for the next update, a lot is sure to happen, so as always it 'twas a pleasure and until next time…

Jutsu Logue:

_Reiki_ (Spirit Aura): An innate ability utilized by both Namikaze Minato and Naruto which fills the surrounding area with undulated amounts of the user's chakra. In its earliest stages the user can manipulate the surrounding energy with both spatial and elemental manipulations, however through intense training the user can seallessly perform any jutsu as long as they have mastered the jutsu. Building upon that, techniques such as _Urate_, a taijutsu supplementary technique, and _Shunpo_ can be accomplished to give the user a huge edge in battle.

_Urate_ (Reversing): A technique created by Namikaze Minato via _Reiki_, the user reverses the flow of some of their _Reiki_ thus allowing their body to become more efficient with its chakra usage. The resulting effect is an increase in speed, strength, and durability as well as a tenketsu clogging effect that renders techniques such as _Jyuuken_ ineffective.

_Shunpo _(Flash Steps): A technique created by Namikaze Minato via _Reiki_, the technique is a highly refined, sealless _Shunshin_ that when used within the confines of the user's _Reiki _can be done near instantaneously. The speed of the technique is so great that even skilled masters of doujutsu, especially the _Sharingan_; can only catch the faintest signals, if that, from the jutsu upon its execution making it a great counter to any eye wielding warrior.

_Doton: Nomi Yuma _(Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld): is a technique that creates a large swamp that immoblizes and kills the target. However the size of the swamp is proportioned to the amount of chakra of the user.

_Gamaken_ (Frog Fist): A taijutsu style as ancient and revered as the Toad Clan itself, the toad's martial arts teacing range from as far as hand-to-hand comabt to weapon mastery and much more. Practioners of the style usally exhibit not only impressive leg strength, but a surpringly amount of speed and coordination that belies the form of the art's holder. Known masters of this form are, in order of mastery: Fukasaku, Jraiya, and Minato who are all heralded for their mastery of the taijutsu arts.

Black Saint 


	17. Rise Of The Black Moon Part 1

"": Spoken

"": Spoken

''_: Thoughts _

""**: Spirits and Demons **

Summary: What if the sealing had gone as planned? What if Uzumaki Naruto was the sole keeper of the dead king Biju's chakra and had the memories of a long dead Kyuubi. What if this said boy was still treated as if he were the dead Kyuubi reborn, would he still be Konoha's Angel?

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know, I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously...

"Thank you Jiraiya-sama, I accept your mission," Haku replied happily as she got back to her feet and going back to the two training genins' side.

After the girl left, Jiraiya disappeared as well, leaving the genin to their work so that he could focus on other more important things.

_Now on to research, and I think I have the perfect place,_ Jiraiya thought before heading into Konoha's red light district.

Ch. 17: Rise of the Black Moon Part 1

The Day before the Finals

Sakura couldn't contain a self-hating smirk as she made her way through the hospital corridors. While her teammates were out prancing with their elite jonin and Sannin sensei, she'd been shafted not once, but twice by her supposed sensei! First it'd been Kakashi who seemingly disappeared off the face of the world without even saying more than 'Sasuke needs training.' On the other hand, Kurenai was much clearer in her reasons for not training her, quoting her duties as a sensei and to Shino came first, but it didn't help the fact that she left her in the clutches of her so-called friends.

Oh how Inner Sakura ranted on about cursing them all to Lord Enma's fiery hold, but the rational part of her brain thought otherwise.

_More like they instilled fear and paranoia preventing you from talking bad about them,_ her inner self amended, not afraid to say both Anko and Yuugao scared the hell out of her; Literally. However, despite the exhausting days and pain-filled nights, Sakura never felt stronger or more confident in her abilities than she did right now.

It was strength hard fought for, because according to Anko before the training, her stamina was abysmal, taijutsu was nearly nonexistent, and her overall ability as a kunoichi was mediocre at best. Yuugao was slightly nicer in her assessment, and actually pointed out that her genjutsu was advanced, her knowledge of medical ninjutsu fairly solid for a kunoichi her age, and her intellectual brilliance was something to be proud of, but on the other hand, added that with her reserves she couldn't put her genjutsu skills to any use, there were still a lot of holes in her medical training, and intelligence was on a situational advantage at best in the world of shinobi encounters…

Needless to say, she had a lot of work to do and work she did. Suppressing a shudder, Sakura thanked Kami that her one month of torture was finally over. Both senseis enjoyed pushing Sakura to the absolute brink before easing up just enough for her muscles and mind to heal before starting in on her again. Her determination paid off, and by the end of her training, Sakura managed to earn Anko respect, albeit grudgingly, after she managed to lay a Tsunade-worthy knockout punch on the Snake kunoichi.

_However that's to be expected considering all Yuugao-sensei's been having me study all of Lady Tsunade's old Scrolls,_ her impulsive half chimed in loudly. Even Yuugao admitted it was a good punch, and her constant training was finally bearing fruit. However the real jewels of their month together had come from when Yuugao got her an Anbu grade ninjato of her own and Anko allowed her to sign the Snake contract.

_And what a day that was!_ Sakura added feeling smug that she'd manage to lay a mean right hook on the serpent-wielding kunoichi after nearly 30 days of constant ass kickings and getting a kick ass weapon plus a summon contract because of it! That feeling of jubilation swelled as she rounded another corner in the maze-like hospital before settling her sights on her destination. A soft smile graced her features as she stepped into the small hospital room and made her way to the side of Lee's bed.

The spandex wearing taijutsu master was fast asleep, giving Sakura a first-hand look at a rare moment of rest for Gai's protégé. It was pleasant, albeit a bit strange, for Sakura to see Lee not running around like some sort of dynamo.

_It makes him approachable, more… human,_ Sakura admitted to herself as she played with a lock of Lee's hair. The normally pressed and gelled hair was now long and unruly, and fell over Lee's eyes while framing his face. Even Sakura had to admit it looked good on him, before bursting into a fit of giggles.

_Lee, looking good!? Never thought I'd use those two words in a sentence,_ Sakura thought before immediately feeling guilty. However, before she could mentally chastise herself for the comment, Lee began to stir.

"Sakura?" the boy ventured softly, wondering if he dreamt the pink haired girl's laughter.

"Yes Lee, I'm here. Sorry for waking you," the girl whispered before realizing she was still toying with Lee's hair. Mortified, Sakura quickly tried to dislodge her hand, but even while injured, Lee proved to be faster and managed to capture the flower maiden's hand in his own.

"Don't be… I enjoy your visits," Lee continued after a moment, genuinely happy to see the girl. Sakura did her best to hide her embarrassment, but the fact was even though she read about things like this all the time in her romance novels; she never experienced it herself. It was flattering to say the least, and a welcomed change to the juvenile and sometimes brutish manner her genin squad acted in.

"…Thank you, but you really should be getting your rest," was all Sakura managed to get out before wondering why she came here in the first place. At first, her visits were merely to comfort a friend, but slowly they began to evolve. Puzzled, Sakura began to wonder when her visits to Lee stopped being about making Lee feel better and changed to making herself feel better.

_It was about the time you started deluding yourself into thinking that you visited him because you wanted to practice your medical ninjutsu, _her inner half chimed in, feeling smug that she could rub this in her milder half's face.

_Quiet you, Lee is only a friend! _Sakura shot back, as a sour look fell on her features. However, despite how much she wanted to believe otherwise, Sakura realized that she was in denial. Lee _was_ a great friend, but over the past month she'd gotten to know him; he'd become so much more than that.

_He's funny, sweet, determined, passionate…,_ Sakura listed off before a moment of clarity struck her. When had she begun seeing Lee as more than a goofy boy without any fashion sense? However, before she could contemplate the exact moment her relationship with Lee evolved, a calloused hand swept the stray strands of hair from the front of her face and her worries with it.

"Hiding behind a curtain of hair doesn't suit one such as yours Sakura-chan," Lee chimed in before immediately turning red at his forwardness. Despite his, and Sakura's, embarrassment, Lee didn't regret his actions. He couldn't explain it, but being near Sakura gave him a sense of confidence that not even training with Gai could replicate.

However for Sakura, Lee's words struck a chord within her. For years she'd been teased over the size of her forehead, and after a while, she became used to that part of herself considering it something that she would have to hide. Now to have someone say that she shouldn't be ashamed of it, and even implying she was beautiful because of it shook the pink-haired kunoichi to the core.

"L-Lee I have to…," Sakura stuttered out as she tired escape the embarrassing situation.

"No! Don't leave…," Lee pleaded before finishing softly. It was then that the boy thought that perhaps he'd been too forward with the object of his affections, but as before when Sakura was involved, he couldn't help himself.

And despite herself, Sakura complied…

"Sakura, I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable…,"

"Lee you don't have to be sorry it's just…,"

"Your heart belongs to another," Lee finished for the girl, a streak of sadness lining his voice. Sakura's silence was all the response he needed. Sighing, Lee reached over to his nightstand and rummaged around in his few belongs before turning back to the blossom-haired girl.

"I want you to have this Sakura-chan. They were my mother's and she told me to only give them to someone I would truly cherish... I don't know if we'll end up together Sakura-chan, but I can honestly say I will always cherish you, whether it be as a friend or something more," Lee said as he sat up from his bed. With uncharacteristic grace, Lee pinned his mother's flower hairclips to the sides of her face and like a fully bloomed cheery blossom falling to the ground, the two genins' face gravitated to one another before Sakura abruptly stopped.

Staring into Lee's eyes, she could see that he meant what he said, and for friendship or more, he was here to stay. Smiling ever so softly, Sakura leaned and planted a kiss on the taijutsu master's cheek. Shell-shocked, Lee only smiled as he watched Sakura make her way out of his room.

---

Kin looked around the bland apartment with distain. She hated her team's so-called 'headquarters'. The lodging barely roomed three, and for once, she was actually glad she didn't have a jonin sensei; otherwise she'd have to end up rooming with the two perverts that composed the rest of her genin cell.

_Speak of the devil…,_ Kin added as her 'team leader' Dosu entered the room.

"Dosu, have you seen Zaku? Kabuto-sama asked us to meet him ten minutes ago, and he still hasn't shown up," Kin uttered angrily, making her distain for her tardy teammate evident to her mummified cohort. The boy merely chortled as he made his way to the door.

"Figures I'd have to be the one to tell you; Kabuto summoned Zaku over ten minutes ago, I just figured he told you the same," Dosu uttered with an air of nonchalance. Smirking when saw Kin's reaction; Dosu took an unhealthy joy in seeing the girl sweat. It was common knowledge that his teammate held a 'torch' for the silver-haired med-nin, in fact, he even ventured to say she idolized the man more than life itself.

Silently, Kin fretted over if Kabuto was still angry with her for her loss in the preliminaries. Although he didn't come right out and say it, Kin could sense a lot of disappointment hidden behind the kind words he'd said to her after the battle. Seeing that caused her failure to eat at her more than the actual loss itself, and with an almost inhuman vigor, she threw herself into training so that she could be better prepared for the upcoming invasion.

_Kabuto-sama is expecting more from me, and I'll give him that! I'll give him everything that I am…,_ Kin vowed, the mental image of her idol cementing the oath in her heart.

"Jeez don't look so serious, Kabuto just called Zaku in before you. Probably just wants to go over the battle plan once more with you two losers. The way I hear it, Orochimaru-sama wasn't too pleased with your performances, and even a softy like Kabuto won't be able to save you from his wrath if you mess this up," Dosu taunted, carefully leaving out any details pertaining to his loss in the Preliminary bouts.

"Don't speak about Kabuto-sama like that! Unlike you, Kabuto-sama is kind, caring, and gentle…," Kin listed as a far-off look came over her features.

"Don't go having fantasies of the guy while I'm here, and don't act like you don't, because you moan his name in your sleep," Dosu countered causing the kunoichi to flush a bright scarlet.

"You bastard!" Kin cried with indignation before reaching for her belled-senbon.

"Don't be mad just because you've been found out, and besides, word on the grapevine is that your precious Kabuto-sama is gay," Dosu said as a parting shot before darting out of the room, for as fun as pissing off his teammate was, he had his own mission to attend to.

"Fuck you, you bastard! Besides, whoever told you that obviously doesn't know about our 'extracurricular' meetings," Kin muttered softly as she made her way out of the apartment as well.

Moving on autopilot, Kin arrived at the Sound's base of operations hidden within one of the apartment complexes in the heart of the village. Inwardly, the young kunoichi marveled at how Kabuto managed to create a safe house in the heart of enemy territory, but put aside her fascination once she drew near Kabuto's quarters.

_Must remain focused; The Sound will be depending on me, Orochimaru will be depending on me, Kabuto-sama will be…,_ but Kin's thoughts were cut off by her idol's voice.

"Such a shame Zaku, and here I thought that all the time I spent grafting those air cannons to your arms would have actually helped you be useful. No worries though, your death, as well as the death of that gullible girl of a teammate you have, will help realize the birth of a God!" Kabuto finished with exuberance, pulling his blade from Zaku's torso, thus draining the boy of what little life was left in him.

Kin watched with horrified eyes as the scene played out before her, and with great effort, managed to suppress her shocked gasp when Zaku's body hit the ground with a heavy thud. Despite her shock addled mind, Kin's training immediately kicked in and she found herself on the safe house's rooftop before she could even bat an eye. Her mind did not want to believe what just happened, but her body was screaming at her to run as fast as she could and to not look back.

Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough…

"Kin-chan, where are you going?" Kabuto asked in his usual amiable voice. The sound was so comforting that Kin almost forgot he just murdered her teammate right before her eyes, and that he was currently wearing the evidence on the side of his face as if nothing was amiss.

"Ka-Kabuto-sama… Z-Zaku is d-dead," the girl managed to stutter out as she backed away from the silver-haired nin, wondering how he closed the distance between them so fast.

"Shhhh it is all a dream. Zaku's death shouldn't concern you. He'd outgrown his usefulness to myself and Orochimaru while alive; however, in death he will bring about the realization of my plan," Kabuto explained as he wrapped the younger girl up in an embrace.

At first, Kin resisted; the image of her teammate's death put her survival instincts on high alert. However, after a moment, a wave of relief washed over her as she took in Kabuto. His appearance, demeanor, and even his scent all reassured her that his arms were the safest place she could be and quelled even the deepest of her fears. However, despite all of that, something still told to get away and fast…

"O-Okay Kabuto-sama, you always seem to know what's best,"

"Thank you Kin-chan… Thank you so much. I am so glad to have you as a subordinate and even more so as a lover," Kabuto lulled on, the soft smile never leaving his feature.

"Goodbye," Kabuto whispered into Kin's ear like a sweet nothing, before plunging his blade in her torso in one deft motion.

The stunned girl looked down, only to find visible proof what her body was telling her. Gasping for air, she turned her eyes up to her betraying lover, only to find that his words were describing exactly what was happening to her world.

"Shatter…,"

---

The full moon shined unusually bright on the quiet rooftops of Konohagakure. What's more unusual was that for one such as Zabuza, who made his name and living out of being unseen, to appreciate the sight of the moonlit rooftops of Konoha. Perched next to the famed Mist Devil were his two wardens, Anko and Ibiki, and an Anbu who'd be hand selected by the Hokage himself, to accompany them, on their reconnaissance mission.

"Beautiful isn't it? Not many get to appreciate the sight, but after my stint in Anbu, I learned to find any sort of good side in a job like ours," the Anbu said as he removed his mask, startling his comrade's with his breach in protocol.

"Hey, aren't you that Iruka guy the blonde brat is always yammering about? Funny, because I could have sworn he said something about saving you from 'imminent death'," Zabuza stated, analyzing the solemn chunin with a critical eye when the man showed no signs of denying the claim.

_Something isn't adding up. How could an Anbu of his caliber have nearly been killed on a mission that would be considered child's play,_ Zabuza contemplated, recalling both Naruto's detailed, and probably over embellished, account of the night as well as his own memories of the man's abilities. From what he knew of the fated night, the Anbu was bested and almost killed by a chunin, albeit he was suffering from numerous projectile related injuries, but by a chunin.

No, the whole situation stunk of deception, especially after he witnessed him perform high level Suiton and Raiton jutsu like a seasoned Black Opts agent and turn kunai and shuriken, the most mundane of ninja tools, into precision killing tool with just chakra and a bit of ingenuity.

"Yes, I'm that Iruka, and it seems Naruto's spared no expense in telling the world of my momentary lapse in skill. However, the truth remains that I owe the child my life, because if it were just me that night, I fear that traitor and this seal may have gotten the best of me," Iruka elaborated, before pulling the Kevlar mesh from his uniform to the side revealing a single symbol that that looked like an Egyptian all seeing-eye.

"That's a…,"

"-Curse Seal, and where in the hell did a goody goody like you get such a tainted 'tattoo' like that?" Anko demanded, cutting off Ibiki mid-sentence.

"In my younger days, I was a bit of a problem child, so much that when I was in the academy, one of my instructors suggested that I be showed the error of my by a true disciplinary,"

"Orochimaru," Anko cut in again with narrowed eyes, the chunin's story sounding similar to her own.

"Yes, apparently the Sannin was running a program where he would 'instruct' misguided, but potentially great, youth in the true meaning of being a shinobi, per some Hokage mandate. Unfortunately…,"

"- The operation was a front for him to find suitable candidates for his experiments. He picked me up the same way, and after I survived the initial tests and some of his 'teachings,' he made me his apprentice," Anko finished for the man once again. Locking eyes with the chunin, Anko saw that Orochimaru had fucked him up almost as much as he'd done her. Furthermore, the snake kunoichi silently fumed on how the Hokage kept such a secret from her, knowing she suffered with bouts of depression because of her 'situation' and that there were a group of people like her right under her nose!

"Yes, and apparently, he tried to recreate the Nidaime's unnatural affinity for Water and Lightning within me. The results were partially effective; however, I will always have this scar as a reminder of what he did to me," Iruka added numbly as he ran his hands over the bridge of his nose gently, unknowingly soothing Anko's anger with an eerily familiar gesture.

"By the time I was found, the Kyuubi attack was already baring down on the village, so myself and the few others that survived had their seals contained, much like this one and were offered a place in the ninja program and eventually were all drafted into the same Anbu squad,"

"…And what squad might that be?" Anko asked as she voiced everyone's thoughts after the congenial chunin finished his piece.

"We often go by many names; however our most famous is simply the Vizards…," Iruka stated, before a burst of chakra rippled through the area, enticing all of them to go and investigate the disturbance.

---

Not to far away from the returning recon team, Dosu was carrying an unconscious Kin to a special preparation coffin. Although he had no idea what Kin had done to deserve been buried alive, he'd been tasked with removing the body from the Headquarters by none other than Kabuto. Pushing his own curiosities aside, Dosu landed on top of the rooftop of Kabuto's hidden lab, only to spot the pink-haired kunoichi he'd encountered in the forest of death standing on the other side.

_Shit, just what I need,_ Dosu cursed silently, looking for any sort of cover on the bare rooftop. Unfortunately for him, the bright moon made any potential hiding spot clearly visible to the trained eye, and if Sakura was anything after the previous month, she was trained.

"What are you…," Sakura started before immediately jumping back to avoid Dosu's strike, while simultaneously releasing a pulse of chakra to disrupt disorienting sound waves and swiping at him with her new ninjato. Dosu managed to raise his melody canon just in time to prevent her from chopping off his head, but the power behind the blow sent him sailing back to the other side of the rooftop where he deposited Kin earlier.

Dosu stared at the pink haired kunoichi in disbelief. He'd almost been positive that taijutsu was the kunoichi's weak point about a month ago, but now she was moving like a trained killer. It was hardly noticeable, and he doubted that Sakura knew that she was even doing it, but whoever was training her for the past month implanted a 'killer instinct' in the pink haired girl. Having taken note of Sakura's heightened threat level; Dosu pulled back the sleeve of his other arm revealing a second melody canon to the female.

"I was planning to save this for after the Finals, but it seems you'll have to do for now," Dosu taunted before closing the distance between himself and Sakura. However, unlike before, Dosu didn't just swing once, but attacked in a continuous, well-practiced, kata that forced Sakura onto the defensive. Even with the added reach of her ninjato, she couldn't score a solid hit with Dosu being able to attack and defend at the same time.

Switching tactics, Sakura created some distance between the two of them with a lightning-fast sword swipe, followed be a quick, but relatively weak, genjutsu. The tactic worked and Dosu stood disoriented from the illusion, as Sakura quickly ran a finger over the length of her blade before smearing blood onto the Snake tattoo on her forearm. Her tanned skin shivered a little at the feeling of her blood, but Sakura remained focused on completing her jutsu and just as Dosu broke free of the genjutsu binding him, a myriad of snakes were shooting from the web work of seals on Sakura's forearm.

Having seen the Sen'eitajashu before, Dosu retreated onto the side of the buiding before dashing alog the sides in hopes to outflank Sakura. His gambit paid off and Sakura's inexperience with the technique allowed him to evade the snakes and close in on her blind spot. Seeing a chance, Dosu surged forward with a powerful haymaker only to be blocked by Sakura's ninjato yet again. Unfortunately for her; however, Dosu had both weight and momentum on his side, causing Sakura's guard to falter just enough for him to slip his second fist in-between her guard.

_Have to remain focused,_ Sakura grounded out mentally while willing her chakra to dispell the dizzying effects of Dosu's melody canon. Luckily, her affinity for genjutsu saw her through yet again, breaking the sound genin's spell before it could fully go into effect and with practiced ease, and she righted herself in midair. Thinking quickly, Sakura released the chakra binding that attached the snakes her arms, allowing them to slither freely and distract Dosu while she flitted through a series of handseals.

"Doton: Saihendaichi (Earth Release: Crumbling Platform)!"

_Shit! What has this girl being doing for the past month,_ Dosu commented in angst, as he witnessed the roofing of the building below him suddenly give out and send him crashing onto the floor below it. Luckily for him, the lower levels weren't affected by Sakura's jutsu, and held steady, but still, Sakura now held the high ground and the tactical advantage that came with it.

_Increased stamina, developing ken and taijutsu, chunin level genjutsu, Doton jutsu, tactical thinking as well as a summon contract! This isn't the same kunoichi we encountered in the forest, _Dosu realized, seeing that Sakura's skills were now more in line with a Chunin rather than a fledging genin. The sudden revealation made him realize that maybe open confrontation with the girl wasn't the best decision. Unfortunately, that fact dawned on him a little to late, and the consequences of his decisions were now upon him.

"Now this is truly a shame, to have to kill all three of our fledging genin in one night… Dosu, I at least held a bit of hope for you, for you see, unlike your two teammates, at least you realized the importance of self-preservation," Kabuto lulled as he stepped from the shadows of his now destroyed lab.

"K-Kabuto?!"

"Well, well, well what do we have here?" Kabuto said with a deceivingly innoncent smile. It waas the type of smile someone gave when they were hiding something in plain sight, and it made Sakura curse herself for revealing her position.

_So much for collecting Kin, and letting some Anbu deal with her and Dosu,_ Sakura thought, realizing that with the appearance of Kabuto, her plan was now shot to hell.

"Tsk, tsk, Dosu this does not bode well for you. Not only did you fail me in the Preliminaries, but you also managed to lose the body that I asked you to bring to me as well as leading the enemy to one of our bases of operation," Kabuto stated, completely ignoring Sakura for the moment. While it could be considered arrogance to completely disregard an enemy, even more so an intelligent one, Kabuto knew that too many things were already in motion for one leak to stop. Not that he intended to let that leak go far anyway…

"H-hai Kabuto-sama, I-I am aware of my previous f-failures; however, I was working on rec-recitifying my previous mis-mistakes," Dosu stuttered out, as Kabuto's ki flared up. Even Sakura, who was outside the direct path, felt its crushing force and couldn't find it in her to speak, much less, escape.

_T-This is worse than Orochimaru!_ Sakura thought in shock as she tried to will her body back under control.

"No excuses…," Kabuto said with a sigh before unceremoniously removing Dosu's head from his shulders. That deed happened so fast that Dosu didn't even have time to fully register the pain, leaving only a prepetual look of surprise plastered on his now severed head.

_He's gonna murder me. He's gonna murder me. He's gonna…,_

"It's alright, Sakura; I won't let him get you," a familiar voice called out from behind the frightened girl. Willing herself to turn around, Sakura laid eyes on her congenial Academy Instructors face, only to find him garbed in Anbu gear. Captain level at that…

"Kabuto," Anko said in a tense voice, recognizing the man as one of the key people the Hokage told them to find.

"Anko. It is a pleasure, one that I'm surprised to have, considering that Baki should have taken care of you all as well as that pest of a proctor that'd been tailing me," Kabuto commented lightly, his perpetual self-satisfied smile still on his features.

"He's being introduced to a new method of torturing called waterboarding by our good friends Ibiki and Zabuza," Iruka cut in officially, making his presence known to the silver haired traitor.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Iruka-kun. It has been some years, hasn't it Scar-chan? I can hardly recognize you now, especially with all that dreadful looking gear on you," Kabuto conversed lightly, his personality fluctuating back to his normal whimsical demeanor, thus lifting the heavy ki from the area. Guiltily, Sakura let out a breath of relief, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted off her chest, only to look up and see that Iruka was still tensed for battle.

"I'm surprised your mind can even function, knowing that you betrayed me and all those others. Don't think I forgot your role in my 'transformation'," Iruka shot back, his chakra rising exponentially with his anger. In response, the air began to become heavy and almost appeared to be crackling with raw energy, as if his chakra was willing the elements he commanded to come to life.

"Still bitter I see. Well, there will come a time and place when we can finish our score, but for now I must be off," Kabuto uttered before leaving the area in a nigh-inaudiable whish. Realizing he'd used a shunshin, Iruka's body uncoiled, knowing that the bespecticaled teen's escape would be almost untraceable. Reigning in his anger, Iruka concurred that there would be another time to deal with the traitorous med-nin, but for the time being, he had a village to help protect.

"Sakura, go give that Sound kunoichi some medical attention; she doesn't have to be fully healed, just enough to ensure that she survives and can regain consciousness soon. She may have some information for the events to come and additional intel at this point which could be critical," Iruka called out, snapping Sakura out of her daze. The girl reacted accordingly and immediately began doing as instructed; meanwhile Iruka turned to Anko and gave her a significant look.

"Anko, how much do you know of Orochimaru's techniques?" Iruka asked quietly, knowing that the kunoichi's knowledge of her former master was spotty at best.

"Not much other than his normal jutsu and sealing abilities. Why?" the kunoichi asked in a chipped tone, the events of the night having thoroughly soured her mood.

"Because I can think of only two techniques that evoke either a coffin or a Shiki Fuin seal, but neither of them are used in unison," Iruka commented as he pointed down to the contents of Kabuto's lab.

Hidden behind a complex looking seal array was a coffin labeled with a Shiki Fuin seal, as well as an urn sitting on top of it with the words Hatake Sakumo spelled out across its length; puzzled by this discovery, Iruka's mind raced to Kakashi, the only living Hatake left, as well as his three students Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto. Who, all of which, were currently entangled in the same dangerous web Kabuto was spinning.

"Anko report this to the Hokage, I have a bad feeling about this…,"

--

Naruto stared up at the bright night sky and marvelled at the sight of the full moon. The view was calming, for which Naruto was thankful, considering the biggest fight for his life was coming up in less than twelve hours. He trained fiercely for the past month, and with the aid of Jiraiya, Hinata, and Haku, reinvented himself as a shinobi. No longer did he rely on a half-established sword skill, a family heirloom, and the raw power of his chakra to see him through. No, at last, Naruto finally felt like a well-rounded shinobi.

_And how couldn't I with everyone bombarding with their so called 'training',_ Naruto thought sarcastically as he recalled all he learned in the past month. While Jiraiya might have been a world class bastard with his perversion and training methods, Naruto finally felt as though he were a 'real' ninja now that he knew some elemental jutsu. Albiet it was only two per each of his elemental affinities, but he now had something that could distinguish himself from the average swordsman. Speaking of which, Fukasaku helped him improve in that area as well, pounding both unarmed and armed kata into his brain. His Kenchoken merged beautifully with his frog katas, creating a taijutsu style that remained similar to Jyuuken in the manor of chakra manipulation, but stood out with its own interesting 'twist' to execution.

On the other hand, his time spent with Hinata and Haku was 'less' learning new techniques, and more applying them to actual combat. Through their spars, he finally got a decent handle on both the Shunpo and Urate, and was learning to use them both in a rapid succession as well as at the same time. Furthermore sparring with them gave him more experience with fighting a Jyuuken user, and building strategies to beating one as skilled as Neji. Currently, Naruto was going along the same guidelines Gai laid out while commenting on Lee's fight with Gaara, a high-speed combo to finish Neji before he could retaliate. However, Naruto realized that he would have to use everything in his arsenal to push Neji into a position for that plan to work, so over the past month he'd been working on blending his nin, ken, and taijutsu along with his father's techniques so that they all worked towards that same goal.

"Even with all of that, I still can't help but feel scared," Naruto thought aloud as he tried to fight back his own anxiety. He heard through the grapevine that Neji was training with Lee to help cover his own weakness and that during that training; some interesting things had come into light for both taijutsu users. Whatever that meant really didn't bother Naruto, but the fact that Neji was probably training as hard as he did scared the shit out of me.

_What if it all comes down to natural talent…? Am I truly better than Neji?'_Naruto questioned as he stared up at the moon as if willing it to give him an answer. As expected though, Naruto was left to his own thoughts before he noticed a presence creeping up behind him.

"You know it is impolite to stare, especially if the person doesn't know you're watching," Naruto called out before making his Reiki flare up. The air became heavy with his chakra and his stalker's chakra as Naruto laid eyes on a Gaara teetering on the edge of sanity. While in no way were Gaara's homicidal impulses few and far between, the full moon had a particularly maddening effect on the red-headed genin's mind, making him even less likely to indulge himself than normal. And although Naruto had no idea what effect the moon was having on his opponent, the bloodlust in the air was making his intentions painstakingly clear.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Mother wants your blood… No she demands it!" Gaara cried as his sand rush forth only to be stopped by a raw pulse of Naruto's Reiki. Consciously, Naruto channeled his wind element, for it came easiest to him, however unknown even to him, his dormant wood element pushed against Gaara's sand as well placating the raging demon's youki, much to his and his tenant's surprise.

"Well, tell your mother it's off limits until the finals, and even then she'll have to work for it," Naruto quipped with a smirk, hoping that the promise of a battle would satisfy Gaara for the time being.

_Mother…,_ Gaara ventured timidly, only to find that the raging storm that had been his 'mother' was now barely a whisper in the wind giving Gaara a much needed peace of mind.

"I see you've finally calmed down," Naruto continued as the adrenaline started to fade as the looming feeling of death left with Gaara's ki.

"… I don't know what you did to mother, but you will pay. You and this village of yours," Gaara threatened, contradicting Naruto's previous assessment.

"Over my dead body! There's no way I'd let you, much less your imaginary mother, lay a hand on this place," Naruto retorted hotly, and immediately, tensed as if expecting a fight. However, just as it seemed Gaara would pounce, the psychotic redhead turned and began to leave.

_What the?! One minute he's threatening my life, and the next, he's walking away as if nothing happened… This guy is definitely insane,_ Naruto thought privately while watching Gaara disappear. Strangely enough, however, the encounter with the sleep deprived genin left Naruto with a sense of understanding. He'd fight for his village; more so, he'd fight to protect what he held dear. It didn't matter how strong or intimidating the foe, his will to protect was stronger than the fear of the unknown.

And if his brief encounter with Gaara told him anything, that will extended even passed the threshold of death…

_Neji better watch out because now, nothings holding me back!!!_ The genin thought as he made his way back to his home, ready for the finals to begin.

Read and Review

I am truly sorry! To go this long without updating is shameful, that's the only way I can put it. However, to be completely honest, I think the time did this fic more good than anything, because now I have a definite grip on what I'm doing as well as what's to come and although I've said it before; I think it will surprise you.

Now for the bad news: I wanted to include Neji and Naruto's battle in this chapter, but as I type this, I leave for a cruise in a matter of hours and I won't be anywhere remotely close to a computer for a week. Therefore, I was left with this ultimatum: post it now and satisfy the crowd for the time being, or leave you guys hanging for another week and potentially get writer's block.

Yeah…I think I made the right choice.

Furthermore, even after I get back, I probably won't be able to write anything until I finish all of this last minute college stuff. However, once all the life changing details are out of the way, I will resume writing, and hopefully, this time an update will be right down the pipeline.

Once again, I apologize for my tardiness, and if you can find it in your heart to forgive me. However until next update.

Black Saint

Jutsu Logue:

Doton: Saihendaichi (Earth Release: Crumbling Platform): A mid-level earth jutsu that 'crumbles' the ground under an opponent's feet, possibly dropping them into a hidden trap or setting them up for another jutsu. However, one of the many tactical advantages this jutsu gives to its user is a higher position, which makes countering it once ensared even harder.

Completed 07/19/09

Editted 08/13/09


	18. Rise Of The Black Moon Part 2

"": Spoken

"": Spoken

'': Thoughts

"": Spirits and Demons

Summary: People say death is only the beginning, and for Naruto, that statement happens to be infinitely true, considering he is now the container to all of greatest Demon Lord's chakra. However, no one told him of the price that came with it. Bleach elements Naru/FemHaku

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know, I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously...

_What the?! One minute he's threatening my life, and the next, he's walking away as if nothing happened… This guy is definitely insane,_ Naruto thought privately while watching Gaara disappear. Strangely enough, however, the encounter with the sleep-deprived genin left Naruto with a sense of understanding. He'd fight for his village; more so, he'd fight to protect what he held dear. It didn't matter how strong or intimidating the foe, his will to protect was stronger than the fear of the unknown, and if his brief encounter with Gaara told him anything, that will extended even passed the threshold of death…

_Neji better watch out because now, nothings holding me back!!!_ The genin thought as he made his way back to his home, ready for the finals to begin.

Rise of the Black Moon Part 2

Birth of the Yurearashi

"Troublesome…," was all Shikamaru dared to utter less he draw the attention of the three Suna ninja sitting quietly amongst themselves across from him. To his right, Chouji was munching happily away at a bag of chips, enjoying his now 'sometimes' snack with evident zeal. While Shikamaru saw Chouji as his best friend, his brother even, sometimes the boy's oblivious nature grated on his nerves.

_How he could be so relaxed at a time like this? We're about to be fighting for our lives for the viewing pleasure of our so called nation, and all he can do is eat chips?!_ Shikamaru silently fretted as he tired to regain some semblance of order within his mind.

"Calm yourself Nara-san. Your anxiety is irritating my kikai," Shino uttered abruptly, drawing Shikamaru's attention away from his current crisis and onto the normally silent teen. For a moment, Shikamaru mused that if Shino normally communicated with thousands of tiny organisms an infinite numbers per day, then he wasn't really 'silent' then, was he? However, the short finding only distracted him for a moment from what was really bothering him.

The majority of the Konoha ninja were late. Not only did that look bad in front of future clients for their village, but with the recent activity he'd been seeing amongst the high echelons of the village ninja, he figured that there was something bigger happening behind the scenes. In addition, there was the glaring fact that Gaara, who'd threatened to kill him on the way in, was sitting across the room and looking more bloodthirsty than normal. In fact, he was looking so battle hungry that even his teammates were on edge, more so than he'd seen before.

"Definitely troublesome," Shikamaru mumbled again, and to his relief, another one of Konoha's finalists decided to arrive.

"Nara, Akimichi, Aburame," Neji stated with a curt nod before seating himself on the Konoha side of the waiting room; however, he was sure to leave plenty of space between himself and the other Leaf finalists, probably out of some sort of preconceived sense of superiority.

While Neji wasn't exactly Shikamaru's favorite person in the world, actually he was on his hit list for what he'd done to Hinata, he was an able fighter and above all else, if a fight broke out between the Sand and Leaf Nin, Neji would be a powerful ally to have on their side. However, that fact did little to put his mind at ease when the Suna kunoichi found his gaze, and the look that she gave him could only be described as a cross between being rightfully furious and predatory.

_Great, another angry female to deal with,_ Shikamaru thought, cursing his rotten luck. Personally, he found dealing with a psychopath like Gaara to be simpler, because at least with him, wanting to kill him was nothing personal. However, whenever it came to females his vow to never lay hands on a woman usually came back to bite him in the ass, and in this case, it was about to tear him a new one. Breaking eye contact, Shikamaru ignored the comment about 'scared little boys' and instead turned his attention to the senbon-eating proctor that'd made his way into the waiting room.

"The preparations are complete and the final exam is underway. I am Shiranui Genma, and I will be the proctor for this leg of the exam; the rules from the preliminaries still apply. However, I would like to note your performance will be a direct reflection of your village, so make your choices wisely. The first match up will be between Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji. Will both combatants please make their way to the stadium," the jonin said in short order.

"Where's Naruto?" Shikamaru commented aloud, half in exasperation for the blonde's tardiness, and half in anger at the blonde for making his match with the Suna kunoichi even sooner.

"What, are you that scared to face me?" Temari taunted as she followed her siblings out to the stands. Toying with the Nara boy was quickly becoming a favorite pastime of hers; half because of his outdated views on the world, and half because of the frustration it caused him. However, before Shikamaru could even begin his retort, a near inaudible swish swept through the room as Naruto appeared in the center of the room.

"Blondes… Too damn troublesome for their own good," Shikamaru muttered aloud, drawing a dirty look from both Temari and Naruto.

"Oh Shika, don't be like that. The only reason I was late was because I couldn't decide what to wear," Naruto exclaimed in a mocking voice that mirrored Ino perfectly. Both Shikamaru and Chouji laughed at the reference to their previous training days together, before taking in their comrade's new wardrobe.

Gone were the dark blue vest and shorts, instead, Naruto now wore baggy black pants that were tapered off under his black Anbu shin-guards and into the tops of his sandals, as well as a long black jacket that reached just above his ankles and were decorated with orange flames at the bottom. Underneath the jacket, Naruto wore simple black shirt, black matte Anbu chest plate and armguards completed the set he got from Jiraiya and also around his waist hung several black pouches, as well as his trusty bokken. Seeing that his new outfit clearly impressed his two old sparring partners, Naruto pulled out the final piece from a hidden flap in his jacket, revealing a stripped black and orange bucket hat Haku got him to pull his new look together.

"And here I thought you backed out of your promise because you were too scared to face me," Neji interrupted before either Chouji or Shikamaru could comment on Naruto's new look. As expected, Neji's barb caused Naruto's anger to surge to an almost palatable level; however, inside of flying off the handle like the Hyuuga expected, Naruto merely reigned himself in before giving the boy a dark smirk that promised a lot of pain.

"Such a waste; to think that those would be your last words," and with that, Naruto left towards the stadium floor.

--

"Look, the exams are about to start. Wait, who is that?!" Ino question loudly when Genma appeared in the center of the stadium instead of Hayate. To her surprise, Sakura didn't seem the least bit phased by the substitution, and in fact if Ino had to guess, she would say Sakura might have already known about the change.

"Forehead, are you alright?" Ino ventured as she noticed a small glimmer of worry flash across Sakura's eyes before the girl quickly schooled her features.

"Everything's fine Piggy, I'm just worried about Naruto and Sasuke-kun. Both of their matches are coming up, and neither of their opponents are someone to sneeze at," Sakura responded, waving off her friend's concern. Inwardly, Sakura felt bad for lying to her friend, but giving the current circumstance Sakura knew that a few half lies were worth it for the sake of the village.

Thinking back, Sakura recalled the events that transpired the previous night, leading all the way up to the meeting with the Hokage. At first, it seemed as though their was a conspiracy within the village being planned, and the supposed genin Kabuto was leading it, but hearing Kin and that Sand jonin's confession; it seemed the plot was far thicker than she could have imagined. There was an invasion at their doorstep, and the ball had been rolling far too long for anyone to stop it. The best they could hope for was to weather the oncoming storm with their lives and homes intact.

If that wasn't frightening enough, her stumbling onto the little scene last night made her privy to details that none of the other genin had knowledge about; and given her performance that evening, she'd been recommended for a field promotion to chunin. Which came with the task of organizing her fellow rookie genin into a small task force of the village's most promising youth would already be assembled and ready. The only thing was that she couldn't tell anyone about it beforehand.

"Hey Ino, you brought your equipment like I told you to right," Sakura asked, trying to put at least one of her worries at ease.

"For the last time yes, although I don't see why you keep insisting I should. We are in our home village and are just spectators for the finals. It's not like we are going to need them or anything," Ino replied flippantly, only to find that Sakura wasn't laughing.

"We aren't going to need them, are we forehead?" Ino stated again, only this time all humor was gone from her voice.

"I don't know Ino. It's just that I heard from a few people that a few of our 'guests' have been lurking around the village. While normally I wouldn't worry, but after seeing what some of these guys are capable of, I'd rather be safe than sorry,"

Sakura's words did little to put Ino at ease, but it was all she could say. The Hokage deeply stressed the importance of keeping their findings quiet. The last thing the village needed was a panicked mob on top of preparing for an invasion, so the fewer people who knew exact details, the less chance of word reaching civilian ears.

Turning her attentions towards the center of the arena, Sakura spotted Naruto and his new change of clothes. Smiling softly, she noted how the colors suited him. Orange was a bold statement for a ninja, even if it was just a bit of flair on his jacket and hat. However, the smile quickly fell when she noticed Naruto's opponent making his way to the center as well. The arrogant Hyuuga irked her nerves nearly as much as it did Naruto; however, in the back of her mind she knew she was no match for the asshole.

_And judging from those bandages on his hands I might be even less of one now,_ Sakura added sourly after seeing the bandages on the boy's hands, proof of the training he underwent over the last month.

"This will be a good match," a familiar voice said from over her shoulder. Looking up, Sakura couldn't help but smile when her eyes fell on Lee, as well as the rest of their genin peers who were talking right behind him. Luckily, all of them had gotten the memo and came with their equipment ready, even still, that did little to put the pink-haired girl at ease.

"Yeah, but I hope Naruto can come out on top," Sakura said as the taijutsu specialist took a seat beside her while the match got underway.

--

"Are the contestants ready?" Genma asked before glancing at both boys, only to find that they were busy staring each other down.

"Ready," both genin chimed, neither breaking eye with the other.

"Now then, I don't want any repeats of the last bout, when I call the match that's the end of it," Genma warned as he leveled a glare at Neji. The Hyuuga merely nodded his head, taking the significant killer instinct in stride, all the while keeping eye contact with Naruto.

"Begin!" Genma shouted before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Without a word, Naruto exploded forth as his Reiki started flaring as he activated his Urate. Feeling his power surge forth, Naruto threw a punch at Neji's head, intent on wiping that arrogant smirk off of his smug face. However, at the very last moment Neji brought his arm up, parrying Naruto's blow to the side but to his surprise a blast of chakra flew by his face violently, tossing the stray strands of hair in its path.

Following through, Naruto launched a kick at Neji's head; though this time the Hyuuga took no chances and slid under the blow whilst activating his Byakugan. To his surprise, he saw the ambient chakra that normally surrounded Naruto like a cloak condensed itself and traveled along the arc of Naruto's blows. The technique was slightly reminiscent of Jyuuken; however, to call them the same would be like comparing a scalpel to a sledgehammer. The chakra didn't break flesh, but they did pack one hell of a punch.

Having analyzed enough, Neji pressed his advantage and attacked Naruto while he was still overextended from his high kick, only to have his chakra filled palm meet air. Luckily, the Byakugan granted him panoramic vision, otherwise Naruto would have knocked him unconscious with his bokken. Quickly countering, Neji met air again, only this time he continued to track the evaporating chakra trail that Naruto's shunpo left behind.

The battle continued on like that for some time, Naruto attacked quickly before flash stepping away; however, like his cousin Neji proved adapt at reading the chakra trails his version of the technique left behind and was growing steadily faster at reading Naruto's next move.

'_Got him!'_ Neji concluded before thrusting his palm forward, catching Naruto dead in the stomach with a Jyuuken strike, only to find the boy replaced with a log. Scanning the area, Neji quickly pinpointed where Naruto substituted himself. Immediately noticing Naruto's attempt at ninjutsu, it was Neji's turn to charge headfirst in hopes to stop the technique before it was complete. However, even before he could close half the distance between them; a wide outcropping of rocks shot up from out the earth, barring Neji's path to Naruto.

"Doton: Seikitei (Earth Release: Rock Garden)!"

Cursing silently, Neji found out the hard way that even the Byakugan had its limitations and that peering through dozens of chakra laden boulders was a bit too much for his all-seeing eye to pierce through. Knowing that he'd only being facing an air slash from Naruto's bokken if he tried to travel over the outcropping, Neji dashed forth through the terrain maze finding that Naruto had a back up plan as well.

"Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Violent Water Wave)," Naruto mumbled out before a torrent of water washed through the rocks and almost sweeping Neji with it. Luckily for the long haired boy, his chakra control was exceptional and sticking himself to the ground was of no difficulty. Quickly taking the Hakke stance, Neji found that Naruto was within the range of his divination, so without hesitation, he began to navigate the flooding maze turns at top speed.

Across the outcropping Naruto watched his chakra charged water slide by Neji like a gentle breeze with barely contained horror. Having sparred with Hinata, Naruto knew that each spin from the Hakke dance was like a mini Kaiten and could apparently deflect jutsu and kunai alike, all the while allowing the Hakke user to stay keyed in on their target. So wasting no time, Naruto formed the hand seals to Doton: Seikitei yet again, only this time Neji was upon him just as the ground below him began to rise.

'_Shit!'_ Naruto thought as he panicked, losing control of his chakra and allowing it to flood into the jutsu. Now instead of spawning another outcropping, the jutsu made a single, towering spire that lifted both Neji and Naruto over ten meters into the air.

"Two strikes!" Neji cried as he pushed both his hands forward, only to meet the boy's black bracers as he took to the sky to evade him. Heedlessly, Neji followed after him performing the advanced taijutsu combination in mid-air!

"Four strikes!"

"Eight strikes!" the boy called as the two fell through the sky. At first, Naruto could keep up with the blows, but Neji soon overwhelmed him as the pace increased again and again.

"Sixteen strikes!" Each strike was now finding its way to a tenketsu regardless if it had to go through his armor and Urate.

"Thirty-two strikes!" and by the time the two reached the ground, Naruto was in full retreat, arms flailing in an attempt to deflect Neji's precise and powerful assault.

Thud… Naruto had backpedaled himself into the stadium wall, knowing what was coming next, the blonde braced himself for the worst to come.

"Sixty-four strikes!!" Neji shouted as his hands seemed to blur out of existence. Every strike hit a tenketsu and to Naruto, every strike felt as if Neji was trying to jam a senbon down each of his tenketsu. However, to his luck, his Urate held true and his tenketsu remained open, despite the numbing pain around them. After the final blow, Naruto peeked his head through his guard just in time to see Neji revving up for his next attack.

"Kai-," the boy started, his flaring chakra being the only warnings Naruto got before...

"TEN!" Neji finished loudly, just as Naruto stepped into his shunpo. Dust flew in all directions obscuring the scene from view. Everyone held their breathe as they waited for some sign, and they weren't disappointed when they saw Naruto step out of his shunpo far across from the dust cloud panting slightly, but none worse for wear. It was an incredibly close call, but Naruto managed to escape; however, the clashing chakras flayed the ends of Naruto's jacket while horribly scraping his armor.

"And I just got these," Naruto griped aloud as he tried to catch his breath. Never would he get caught in a situation like that again, but in doing such, he realized just how deadly of an opponent Neji was. Thinking carefully, Naruto realized he was going to have to keep his distance for the time being; just until he could wear Neji down enough to execute his plan.

"Kage Bunshin!" and with that, six clones appeared to the right and left of Naruto, before the barker's dozen of blondes began hand sealing at rapid speed. Seeing this, Neji tensed himself for another Kaiten when a multitude of chakra stars burst into his vision.

"Futon: Teishuriken (Wind Release: Air Shuriken)!" Naruto cried, and as if willed forward by some invisible force; the air daggers sped towards Neji with impressive speed.

"Kaiten!" the two techniques met with obvious friction, causing an unholy screeching noise to fill the arena before…

Boom!

The overlapping chakra matrices finally overloaded, causing an explosion and kicking up a fine layer of dust over the stadium floor. Silence gripped the stands as they waited for some sign of the two combatants. Their patience wasn't tested too long, because before the match could be called the looming cloud began to contort as if it were being sucked into some sort of storm.

--

"I didn't know a genin could move that fast, it's like his flickering in and out of existence," one spectator stated, as tried to keep up with the several Naruto's rapid movements.

"Well look at that, it's almost like watching the Yondaime all those years ago," another added in a wistful voice.

"That brat's like storm; a Yurearashi," the first voice asserted again, his conversation being overheard by a group of Naruto's peers.

"Flickering Storm, eh? Why does Naruto get the cool nickname and I'm left with nothing?" Kiba questioned hotly, grinning happily when Akamaru barked in agreement with him.

"Maybe it's because he beat you in the preliminaries. Now will you shut up, I'm trying to watch the match," Ino countered with equal fervor; however, not missing the irony in her last verbal exchange.

"I'm just saying, I think I deserve a nickname as well," Kiba mumbled under his breath only to see that he'd been ignored in favor of the escalating match in front of them.

_You'd better win you blonde idiot, otherwise your going to have a lot of disappointed people to come back to,_ Kiba thought to himself as he kept his eyes on the match below.

--

Oblivious to his new title, Naruto and his clones continued to circle Neji with shunpo, all the while continually peppering him with air kunai. The tactic proved effective, to a point, seeing as it kept Neji on the defensive. However, the boy's prowess with the Byakugan surpassed that of his cousin's, and every attempt to attack from his blind spot was foiled as if Neji had some sort of sixth sense.

_He's good, but I can go faster!_ Naruto exclaimed to himself before picking up his speed yet again. Now, he and his clones looked like a ghostly army, vanishing as quickly as they appeared. The newfound speed came at a price, because now instead of being able to divide his attention between Shunpo and ninjutsu, his full attention was now solely on outmaneuvering Neji in order to land a clean shot.

Reading his opponent's intentions, Neji made a single hand seal before falling into the traditional Hakke stance. Taking hold of his rising chakra, Neji began to quickly mold it in a way no Hyuuga had done before him, until a barely visible ring of electricity circled both palms.

"Hakke: Byakurai (Eight Trigrams: Pale Lightning)!" the Hyuuga shouted as a ragged line of white lightning shot from his fingertips and pierced a clone mid-step. Catching Naruto's look of surprise via his enhanced vision, Neji continued on with his attack, sending pulse after pulse of refined electrical chakra at his opponent. Each shot managed to hit a clone dead on until only Naruto was left sending, only on the opposite side of the clearing.

--

"Otou-sama, who taught Neji-nisan those techniques? I've never seen Hakke used like that before," Hanabi asked, curious to know of the origins of the technique after witnessing her cousin fire lightning from his fingers as if they were Jyuuken strikes.

Hiashi just remained grave faced as he stared down at the continuing battle, analyzing what he'd just witnessed. For all his vast knowledge acclimated over years of study and experience, it led him to one solitary conclusion.

His nephew is a genius, the likes of which is only seen once every few generation!

_To combine elemental manipulation of such high caliber with our clan's famed Jyuuken! His potential is nearly limitless,_ Hiashi concluded before activating his Byakugan. To his surprise; however, his first analysis of his kin's technique paled in comparison to what he witnessed via his Byakugan.

While Neji was utilizing elemental reconstruction as he first hypothesized, the boy took it a step further and through pure chakra control, replicated the molding skeleton of a Raiton jutsu before combining with what looked like Jyuuken. Hiashi couldn't say his nephew's technique was Jyuuken, because unlike the ancient, traditional taijutsu his clan used, Neji's taijutsu was able to twist and adapt itself to the jutsu skeleton he was molding, thus making both jutsu and Jyuuken one entity.

"I-I don't know Hanabi, although if I had to guess, it seems as if Neji created those techniques, because it isn't like anything I've witnessed before," Hiashi replied honestly as he deactivated his Byakugan. To his side, his daughter just looked on in awe as her cousin continued to fight the blonde who'd become so close to her sister, completely enraptured at the level of skill being displayed.

"Otou-sama, I thought the Elder ruled that tampering with Jyuuken was forbidden for the Branch Family," Hanabi voiced aloud when the thought crossed her mind. Unknowingly, her father was thinking the same thing, and without even turning his head, he knew that the Elder's who were present were already frowning upon the situation.

_I hope your gambit pays off nephew, for if you fail, the 'shame' you bring upon our clan just may cost you your life._

--

Fully aware of his supposed 'trespasses', Neji fought Naruto with renewed vigor. Having neutralized the boy's shunpo with his newest technique, he forced Naruto back into a full taijutsu confrontation. While initially in his favor, Naruto proved to be strong and nimble, plus given the blonde's liberal use of the shadow clone technique, the fight proved to be nearly equal.

Leaning slightly to the side, Neji evaded another one of Naruto's punches before guiding another to the ground. The subsequent blasts from the blonde's Reiki ruffled his clothing and kicked up a bit of dust, but all in all, it only served to show how polished and precise Neji's taijutsu really was.

Taking the advantage of the situation, Neji quickly gripped both the blondes' over extended arms and with a Lee-like feat of strength flipped both of them, causing the pair to smash together before poofing out of existence. However, as quickly as he executed the maneuver a whole new wave of clones werea whole new wave of clones was just as quick to engage him in another bout of taijutsu. Despite his superior skill, Neji didn't cut through the swarm unscathed. The Frog katas combined with his Urate gave each clone a huge edge in offensive and defensive capabilities when compared to the clones Neji saw over a month ago, and for that miscalculation; Neji paid dearly.

_I need to find a way to end this or he'll just outlast me, _Neji concluded as desperation set in for the first time in the fight. Whirling into another Kaiten, Neji managed to buy himself a little space as he scanned the battlefield from under his protective dome. Spotting a single Naruto slightly behind the group that'd circle him, Neji slowed his ultimate defense just enough so that he could fire two Hakke: Byakurai to cut a path to the blonde.

_I've got him now!_ With that, Neji increased the speed of his Kaiten while propelling himself towards Naruto with two Hakke Kusho.

Seeing the attack that put Hinata in the hospital made Naruto's blood boil, but he quickly reigned himself in; he knew that he only had a split-second window of opportunity if he wanted to defeat the technique, and hitting that mark was going to take all the concentration he had.

Taking a stance, Naruto brought his blade down, watching keenly as his clones threw themselves in front of the proverbial grinder to slow Neji down. Their efforts were in vain and Neji continued to hurtle toward him like a giant Jyuuken drill.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto recalled a single lesson from Fukasaku. Letting go of himself for a moment, Naruto focused completely on his chakra. Willing it into the proper positions and charging it until it was at the absolute max, Naruto burst into action taking in the world and Neji's attack all at once.

"Kaze no Doki!!!"

Time slowed for both boys as the tips of Naruto's bokken met the head of Neji's drill. Pushing with all his might, Naruto managed to just penetrate the swirling mass of chakra, and for a split instant, Naruto locked eyes with Neji. Then time sped up and Naruto dragged his blade forward cutting across the length of Neji's body.

Boom!

The sound of their chakras' clashing caught up to them as Neji went careening forth, before landing in a graceless heap. The stadium went silent as the implications of what just happened caught up to them as well. Naruto, the village pariah, not only defeated the heavily favored Hyuuga Prodigy but dragged the clan's name in the mud as well by cutting through their 'ultimate defense' the Kaiten as well.

_Incredible,_ was the stadium's collective conclusion…

Genma was the first to snap out of the reverie, and after sparing a glance at both Neji and Naruto went to call the match.

"Winner Uzumaki Naru…"

"Wait!" Neji cried as he pulled himself to his feet. Much to the shock of everyone present, the Hyuuga boy was still conscious, although even then it was just barely. The wind powered strike had left a horrible gash starting from right above the end of his clavicle to the bottom of his opposite hip, the rotation of his own attack seeing to the shape of his disfigurement. In addition, the mini wind blades created in the wake of Naruto's technique wrecked havoc on both Neji and his clothing; shredding most of his shirt, bandages, and shorts while taking his head band and most of his hair with it.

However, despite his gave injuries, Neji remained standing and with great effort took a step towards Naruto.

"You haven't beaten me yet Uzumaki, not while I still have chakra will you walk away the winner," Neji declared aloud. Naruto was not swayed; however, continuing the fight now wouldn't prove anything.

"This seal here is meant to show my dedication to my clan, my dedication to its heiress," Neji shouted at Naruto's back, trying to provoke the boy into fighting him.

"The Main Branch says it's a mark of honor, proof of my loyalty to the family. However, I know what it really is. This seal, the Caged Bird Seal, is a mark of shame. It is everlasting proof of the division in my clan, one that even twin brothers cannot hope to cross," Neji proclaimed before throwing a menacing glance to his uncle. Despite his brazen claims, the clan's Elders above had seen enough and were contemplating activating the boy's seal just to end the shame he brought onto the clan, but were stopped when they noticed the glare Hiashi was sending them.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? Is that supposed to excuse what you did to Hinata? Just because you bare that seal on your head, you're allowed to kill her own kin in cold blood!?" Naruto replied as he turned to face Neji, his anger finally boiling over.

"Fate has taken everything from me! I felt it prudent that she experience a fraction of my pain before spewing remarks of 'knowing my pain'," Neji retorted, while actually spitting at the last part.

"So the years where Hinata was ignored cause of her own crippling shyness and abused by her so-called family because he had his head so far up his ass doesn't count for anything," Naruto countered, growing angrier with each passing word.

"All trivial when compared to the burden of this seal,"

"Well then when I'm Hokage, I'll remove that seal and lift the burden," Naruto proclaimed, fully aware that he just made a lot of enemies in very high places with that statement.

"Bold words for someone about to lose," Neji taunted one last time before falling into a Hakke stance.

"Fine then, one more go then, your strongest attack against my strongest attack, and if you remain standing then I'll accept that your 'fated' to win this match and forfeit," Naruto relented, willing to bet it all just for the chance to utterly crush Neji. Thinking back to Hinata's battle with her cousin, Naruto called upon that same power he summoned when Neji went to kill his cousin.

_This is for you Hinata; I hope it helps with your dream to unite your clan, and I hope it brings back your Nisan… _

"Kuukigiri!"

"Hakke: Byakurai!"

The air splitting slash met the pale beam of lightning with a loud clap, and as if lightning had really struck the arena floor, there was a great flash of light and a loud roar of thunder. The stadium watched with baited breathe as the dust cleared. Neji was the first to emerge; clothes even more torn, utterly exhausted, and another diagonal scar on his chest thus forming a giant bloody cross. Despite all of this; however, the stubborn Hyuuga still remained on his feet.

In the stands, all of Naruto's friend's hearts fell, if Neji survived that, then Naruto would have to forfeit the match.

_Tough luck kid, but you did set you own stipulations,_ Genma thought as he raised his hand to call the match.

"Winner…," but just as Genma was about to announce Neji as the winner, the boy fell backwards too exhausted to stand, thus succumbing to Naruto's final attack.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" the senbon chewing jonin announced, causing a surge of applause. Naruto managed to do the unthinkable; he managed to defeat the Hyuuga Genius.

Sparing a parting glance at Neji, Naruto wanted to say something but he knew that anything he said now would only serve to further wound the boy's pride. So in a respectful silence, Naruto left the stadium, humbly accepting all of the applause for his victory.

"You know kid, there just might be hope for your clan one day, especially if a guy like that becomes Hokage," Genma told Neji as the medics came to lift him off the field. Sparing a glance to the jonin and then to the sky, Neji let a small reluctant smile cross his features.

Because for the first time since his father died, Neji felt free.

--

"Very interesting genin you have there Hokage-sama. I wonder how he'd stack up to my Gaara or your Sasuke?"

"I'm confident Naruto-kun would prove himself against either opponent. However, it seems he'll have to prove himself against your Gaara, seeing as Sasuke doesn't have a sense of punctuality," the Hokage stated, before whispering a message to his Anbu escort beside him.

"Let us not be too hasty Lord Sarutobi. Many, including myself, are looking forward to my son battling against the last Uchiha. To cancel their fight, because of a small miscalculation, may be frowned upon by the masses,"

"As is being late is frowned upon by future customers as well as our Exam proctors, Kazekage-sama," Hokage replied curtly, while not quite a dismissal, it spoke clearly of the Hokage's intentions.

"How about we come to a compromise then? Shall we move my son's bout with your village's rising star back to the end of this round, and if he isn't here by then,"

"He'll be wondering if the D-rank missions will ever end six months from now," the Hokage completed with complete severity in his tone.

"Agreed Hokage-sama," the Kazekage said, smirking behind his veil.

Grim faced, Sarutobi passed the message on, sick that he bended the rules once again for the young Uchiha. If only the village knew to what lengths he'd gone to protect its rising star, its last Uchiha.

_I wonder if they would still be so tolerant of the concession I just made for the child,_ Sarutobi thought, although in his heart, he knew that if the truth were to ever come out regarding The Uchiha Massacre and Sasuke's survival, the young avenger may not have made it to this day. For if their treatment to Naruto was any testament; the village among the leaves did not like to be reminded of any sort of painful past.

Sighing, Sarutobi watched as Genma announced the match's postponement, and with a critical gaze, Hiruzen watched for any signs of suspicious behavior when the Kazekage's son forfeited his match.

_Completely relaxed. This isn't a man worried about making a good impression for future customers, nor is he the same man who partially sealed the one tailed bijuu into his youngest son,_ Sarutobi concluded, as he distinctly recalled the effect the Kazekage's presence had on his children all those years ago. While a henge or disguise could fool most shinobi, Sarutobi didn't come to be named the Professor solely off of his jutsu knowledge. His nickname also stemmed from the fact that he was a world-class detective, as well as a tactician.

It was then that the Professor had all the proof that he needed that Suna was now compromised at the highest level and that even their elite jonin like Baki had been fooled by this imposter. The only question left was, who was this man behind the mask?

_I guess I'll find out soon enough,_ Sarutobi thought gravely as he shifted in his battle armor a little, before turning his eyes back onto the arena.

--

"So…am I going to have to push you, or will you go down willingly?" Naruto asked with a wide grin, his arm already cocked back for his 'lucky sendoff' onto the stadium floor. Peering at Naruto then over the railing then back at Naruto once again, Shikamaru actually took the initiative and hopped over the handrail and down into the arena.

"If it weren't for the depressing sigh and slouched stance, I would have sworn that wasn't Shikamaru," Kiba said, stating what was on everyone's mind. Nodding dumbly in agreement, Naruto peered over the ledge just in time to see Shikamaru land. Naruto raised an eyebrow when he watched Shikamaru make his way to center stage, hands still in his pockets in his trademark pose, despite the audible crunch he heard when the lazy boy impacted with the ground

_Is Shikamaru wearing weights?!_

"This just might be an interest fight," Naruto said aloud, while peering at the ring with shaded eyes.

--

_Open field and sparse forestation on one end of the arena as well as the aftereffects of the last battle on the terrain on the other end,_ Shikamaru contemplated as he surveyed the ring. There were plenty of places to hide and even more to enhance the reach of his shadow; however, that didn't mean the match of his was already won. Despite his advantages, he still only had one primary jutsu, one that his competition had already seen.

_Plus there's her jutsu preference to worry about,_ Shikamaru added, recalling the beating his opponent had given one of Konoha's genin during the Preliminaries. Long-range combat wasn't really his specialty; in fact without the element of surprise, it was rather hard for him to compete with his level of Nara jutsu against any long-range specialist.

_That leaves either forfeiting, or somehow drawing her out far enough so that she'll make a mistake,_ Shikamaru thought, weighing his final options just as he arrived at the center of the battleground. Casting a glance up to his teammates, Shikamaru's eyes happened to land on Ino, who with almost precognitive comprehension traced her thumb across her neck, making it clear that if he quit, she'd kill him.

_Well so much for friends thick and thin, and plan A for that matter,_ Shikamaru noted sarcastically as the gears in his head began churning, trying to figure out someway to come out on top despite the obvious disadvantages.

Across from him, Temari let a confident smirk slide on her face. From the Intel she'd gathered on the Nara clan, they specialized in immobilization jutsu revolving around shadow manipulation. A very handy ambush and guerilla warfare technique, but in direct combatant against an informed enemy not the greatest tool.

_And if I've realized that, so has he,_ Temari gloated privately as she tried to make eye contact with the pineapple headed boy. She was going to psyche him out, let him know she knew all of his abilities and had a counter for each one. She was going to mess with his head so bad that even before the match started he knew he would lose.

_What the hell is he staring at?!_ Temari wondered angrily when she noticed that Nara boy didn't even look all that nervous. In fact, he seemed focused, too focused, for someone who was 'ill prepared' for battle. Following his line of sight, Temari's eyes fell on a deep trench that was gouged out as a result of the last combatants' final clash. The trench itself was pretty deep, probably about as deep as she was tall, and was fairly wide too, probably about the equivalent of half her height.

However, despite whatever tactical advantages the position may hold, it wasn't the fact that Shikamaru noticed her that bugged her. It was the look on his face that worried her, for that look was exactly like the look she'd seen her jonin sensei Baki make whenever he was about to pull them out of a tight spot.

_Maybe this may not be so easy after all,_ Temari thought, sobering up from her 'easy victory high' a little. Recalling everything she'd witnessed about the boy in front of her, Temari began to realize that behind the infuriating chauvinism and gender stereotyping remarks, Shikamaru was a combat genius!

_It all makes sense. He uses that infuriating attitude of his to throw his opponent off until it's too late to realize that there's actually a brain underneath all that hair,_ Temari concluded, recalling the boy's match with Kin. Then what she'd thought to be dumb luck on Shikamaru's side and poor spatial awareness on Kin's part, now looked to be pure strategic planning on an unknowing victim.

_I won't be next!_ Temari swore before finally making eye contact with Shikamaru. Instead of the glare of a haughty predator, Shikamaru locked eyes with a harden kunoichi.

"Troublesome," was all that the boy muttered out before Genma signaled for the match to begin.

--

"Do you think it was wise for you to put all your money on Shikamaru to win?" Kurenai asked her chain smoking 'comrade'.

"Believe it or not, the kid is actually a genius, and I'm not talking the run of the mill rookies the academy churns out every year. I'm talking 200 plus I.Q. genius, who stomps me at shogi regularly," Asuma assured his 'friend' as they took their seats.

Kurenai just gave her 'peer' a long look, before turning her attention back down to the stadium. Despite their 'friendship', Kurenai didn't want to voice that she had a bad feeling about Asuma's bet.

--

Shikamaru broke for the trench as soon as Genma signaled for the match to begin, his speed having increased a significant margin over the month. Over the past month, his father and Asuma took turns ruining any chance he'd gotten to 'cloud watch' with merciless physical training. It was his weakness they said, he had the mental capacity to be a great ninja and the only thing keeping him from it was his physical condition, moreover, his lazy attitude about bettering it.

Unfortunately, his newfound speed wasn't enough to out run Temari's wind assault, and Shikamaru found himself being tossed around by his opponent's wind blast.

"Shit, she's serious," Shikamaru grunted out angrily as he removed his hands from his pockets to catch his fall. Forcing an ample amount of chakra into his palms, Shikamaru managed to springboard himself towards the rock outcropping Naruto created during the opening battle. However, Shikamaru's escape wasn't unattested, and Temari's second wind burst came close to slamming him into the jagged rock forest that he was using as protection.

_Great, now I'm trapped like a rat in the maze_, Shikamaru whined humorlessly, as he thought of his next move.

_Checkmate is the trench, but that sand girl knows something's up although I doubt she fully understands what I intend to do with that position,_ the boy figured before unclasping his weights from his ankles. While not as spartan as Lee's pair, the troublesome things had made Shikamaru's training all the more unbearable thanks to their oppressive weight. Risking a glance, Shikamaru quickly scanned the field for his opponent only to find she'd taken point on the tallest rock outcropping in the stadium. Sliding back into his hiding spot, the chronically complaining boy noted that the sun's position was nearing high noon.

_Meaning my range will be at its shortest,_ Shikamaru noted dully, having already estimated the distance between the two of them and found he was too far out of reach.

However, before Shikamaru could further begrudge luck for being against him, a subtle ring filled his ears. Acting on instinct, the boy jetted behind another crag just as one of Temari's blast swept through the area he was hiding in.

While not being hit by the attack, Shikamaru now realized just how desperate his situation was. Currently, he was at a disadvantage on almost all levels of the playing field. Temari had taken the high ground which when coupled with her ranged Futon jutsu made any attempts at open combat a foolish endeavor. Furthermore, any attempt to change his current position would also likely end in disaster because even though the weight training improved his speed and stamina, he still needed time to adjust to moving without them. Time he didn't have, especially when his opponent could spam sharpened wind knives with a flick of her wrist.

_I need a distraction!_ Shikamaru thought as he noted the objects at hand. Other than his normal stockpile of projectiles, all Shikamaru had on him were a lengthy spool of ninja grade wire and his weights. Thinking quickly, Shikamaru fastened the spool of wire onto the weights, clasping them together so that so that they would only weigh one end down. Just then, another wind burst splashed against the rocky walls he was hiding behind.

Immediately, Shikamaru leapt into action, diving to the unscathed side of the rock formation the shadow user spun the tethered weights above his lead like an improvised bolas before launching the contraption directly at Temari.

And Shikamaru's timing couldn't have been more perfect. Having timed his attack just as Temari's was ending, the heavy projectile came flying at her while she was overextended, and thus, the least prepared to deal with it. While the weights were bulky and cumbersome compared to a kunai or shuriken, they flew through the air like a revolving bola, thus cutting through the winds instead of being batted aside like Tenten's projectiles had been during the Preliminaries.

However, Temari proved to be far more adept with her weapon than Shikamaru predicted, and with a back handed swing, she redirected the bolas upward. Her victory was short lived; however, because just then the near invisible ninja wire attached to the improvised weapon caught her eye.

"Kage Nigiri no jutsu (Shadow Grip Technique)!" Shikamaru announced as a phantom hand leapt out from underneath the shadow of the weights. Knowing that her defeat would be assured if she was caught, Temari leapt back. Although her fall was more than three stories high, the fleeing kunoichi didn't dare open up her fan in fear of increasing the size of her shadow, and thus the chances of her getting caught. Instead, Temari pooled her chakra along her soles of her feet, thus absorbing all of the shock when she hit the ground.

However, the hand continued its hot pursuit and just as it went to clamp down on the girl's shadow, it reached its limit. Quickly, the shadowy hand snaked back to its origins, causing the bolas and wire to fall limply to the ground after its influence retreated back.

Seeing this, Temari let out a breath in relief. Who would have known the lazy bastard had it in him to make her sweat? The threat however had been real, and Temari felt as though it was time to end the match once and for all.

_Let's see how that idiot likes it when my fan blows a high yield explosive note his way,_ Temari thought sinisterly as she reached into garments to retrieve the expensive explosive, only to feel the cold touch of tempered steel to her neck just as she moved her chakra to prime the seal.

"Not so fast," Shikamaru uttered from behind her, his hand ready to move if she so much as blinked the wrong way. Seeing the stalemate, Genma stepped in and found that even though Shikamaru was in the killing position, Temari already had the explosive note armed and if Shikamaru were to kill her, he'd only be sending them both to their graves.

"The contest is a draw! Both combatants are unable to act without killing one another, so neither advances to the next round!" the jonin announced, unknowingly causing the whole crowd to let out a breath. What started out as a 'filler' fight, had quickly become an intense game of wits, and although short and less action oriented as the last fight, it still impressed many viewers.

"Glad that's over," Shikamaru grumbled out as he lowered his arm and slouched back down.

"H-How did you get behind me?" Temari stuttered out in shock, internally noting that when standing straight up, Shikamaru was slightly intimidating. However, as soon as the thought passed through her head, Temari brutally banished it, quickly chastising herself for allowing such a thought to even come to her mind.

"Kagesochi no jutsu (Shadow Step Technique). It allows me to step between shadows, but unless they're large enough to completely enshroud me, I can't use it," Shikamaru explained calmly while pointing behind Temari to the trench he'd been eying at the beginning of the match. Naturally;

however, the lazy boy neglected to say that range and chakra constraints were also large mitigating factors on the jutsu as well.

_Better to have her somewhat in the dark about my technique in case we have to do this again,_ the Nara Heir rationalized before turning towards the arena exits.

"So, that's why you were eying the trench from the beginning of the match? You knew I would notice and decided to use my own caution against me?" Temari called out from behind the boy, thoroughly frustrated with the situation.

"Maybe," was all Shikamaru offered, finally seeing the fun in being 'troublesome'.

--

The stands were buzzing with excitement. There had already been two spectacular matches already, all building up to this upcoming match where the Leaf's star rookie would face off against the Kazekage's son. And if the last two matches were any indication, this one may just make Chunin Exam history.

Without a word, Gaara disappeared in a whirl of sand before reappearing in the center of the ring, his gourd already uncorked and sand looming around him like a protective cloak. Sweeping his gaze over the battlefield, Gaara couldn't help but feel as bit annoyed when his opponent didn't come out to face him.

An annoyed Gaara was a deadly Gaara after all…

In the stands, Naruto felt the air around Gaara shift, his killer intent literally becoming more and more unstable as he waited for his opponent. Recalling his confrontation with the red head the night before, Naruto couldn't help but become nervous. He may not have liked Sasuke, but he didn't want him to die an early death at the hands of a crazed killer.

_Kakashi-sensei, where are you?_ and as if beckoned, the masked shinobi appeared in a dazzling whirl of leaves, Sasuke to his back, looking as if he hadn't left the wilderness in over a month.

"Did we make it in time?" Kakashi asked without a hint of tact. Grudgingly, Genma nodded affirmatively, although he was sorely tempted to eject them just for Kakashi's deadpan remark. Wordlessly, Kakashi made his way to the stands via shunshin, appearing right behind Naruto before any of the genin could follow his movements.

_Even after all of that training I'm still leagues behind him,_ Naruto thought, wondering just where he stood with his famous teacher. On one hand, Naruto couldn't help but feel as though Kakashi failed as a teacher for leaving both he and Sakura high and dry for the past month. However, on the other hand, Kakashi probably knew that they had other instructors to help pick up the slack in his absence.

Immediately feeling childish afterwards, Naruto knew Kakashi only pulled Sasuke to the side because of how dire the situation was, much like he'd done to him during the Wave mission. However, he did allow himself to feel a little envy towards Sasuke.

_Why shouldn't I? He got to have the Legendary Hatake Kakashi teacher him some of his thousand plus jutsu, while I only got cryptic hints towards elemental reconstruction,_ Naruto justified, although he was secretly eager to see what Sasuke learned over the month.

"I did as you asked," Kakashi said as he leaned forward, feigning interest in Gaara and Sasuke's pre-game trash talk so that he could talk to Naruto discretely.

"And that would be?"

"Helped Sasuke become stronger," Kakashi answered seriously.

"Great, so what you're saying is you pretty much shoved dangerous jutsu after dangerous jutsu down the emotional bastard's throat," Naruto replied sarcastically, having recalled the parting conversation he and Kakashi had a little under a month ago.

"Actually no," Kakashi said with a one-eyed eye smile, knowing the look he'd get from his blonde genin when he said that, and true to form, Naruto gave the jonin a look of utter disbelief, prompting Kakashi to explain himself.

"Actually, all we did was work on his physical conditioning with taijutsu and chakra control and capacity. Taking a page from your book, I weaned Sasuke, if you will,"

Forcing back the disturbing mental image, Naruto didn't give Kakashi the satisfaction of seeing him cringe, even though he was fairly sure he got that line from one of Jiraiya's perverted books. Turning back his attention back to the arena floor, Naruto couldn't help but look at Sasuke with newfound respect.

"So, you're saying any new shit that Sasuke pulls out of his ass is something he invented himself," Naruto asked, pressing for a straight answer from his fairly flippant instructor.

"More or less," Kakashi replied; it being his way of telling Naruto it was the best he'd get.

"Then this might be more interesting than I thought," Naruto muttered as an excited grin spread across his features.

--

"Begin!" Genma shouted, punctuating the statement with a chopping motion. Predictably, both fighters flew into action; Gaara's sand blitzing Sasuke with little abandon. However, despite the possessed earth's impressive speed, Sasuke was faster. In fact, his speed hit home for one of the genin in the stands.

--

"Th-That's…," Lee stuttered out as the origin Sasuke's movements became more and more apparent.

"Your taijutsu Lee. That's what Sasuke has been doing this past month, training his body so that he can attain the sort of speed you used to combat Gaara's sand. Although, I can say that he isn't terribly good at moving that quickly yet, and his stamina isn't quite where it should be if he hopes to maintain that level of agility," Kakashi finished for Lee, while softening the blow of having his hard-earned skills copied by clarifying that his hard work still had its benefits.

"Hai Kakashi-sempai, but what does Sasuke intend to do with that speed? He really hasn't made any attempts to engage Gaara yet," Lee replied politely, curious despite his mixed feeling for the jonin before him. Upon hearing this, Gai began to worry because of all the jutsu Kakashi did and knew only one seemed suitable for this exact situation.

"Kakashi you didn't teach the boy _**that**_ did you?" Gai inquired hesitantly.

"If you talking about the Raikiri then no, I haven't taught Sasuke the finer points of elemental reconstruction yet. However, he has known the Chidori for quite some time now," Kakashi explained while meeting Gai's gaze. The green wearing jonin wanted to protest to teaching a child such a dangerous technique, but at the same time he realized that he couldn't fault Kakashi the same thing because he did the same thing with Lee.

"So, if he already has the tools to pierce Gaara's defense, why hasn't he already done so already," Gai questioned, wondering what strategy the two had concocted over the month's break.

"See that's where it gets interesting, because like I said to Naruto, I didn't just give Sasuke any jutsu. I stressed that he take what I already taught him and use it to make something that is entirely his own," Kakashi finished, before gesturing back towards the match at hand.

--

"Chidori Nagashi!" Sasuke yelled as blue lightning began to dance around him like fireworks. Recalling his training with Kakashi, Sasuke thanked the man for stressing increasing his chakra control and capacity along with his physical fitness, even if it meant five hour long taijutsu spars atop various bodies of water.

_Even still, it eats through my chakra far too quickly,_ Sasuke noted sourly as he mentally gauged how long he could keep his jutsu active. With his Sharingan active, he could hold the Chidori Nagashi for about five minutes while still have enough chakra to produce two full Chidori before passing out from chakra exhaustion. Actually, two Chidori would be cutting it close to actually dying, but if it was deemed necessary, Sasuke would rather deal with those chances than leave his life in his opponent's hands.

Speaking of which, Gaara made a grabbing motion which his sand mirrored, sending a giant disembodied hand to try to snatch up the elusive Uchiha. However, instead of evading, Sasuke stood his ground and to Gaara's surprise, not only did Sasuke's lightning defense withstand his attack, but it also made the sand it came in contact with unresponsive to his manipulations. Smirking, Sasuke looked Gaara right in the eye and to his pleasure; the psychotic red looked at a lost for what to do.

Then Sasuke went in for the kill…

--

"Whoa! Will you at look at that, our last Uchiha is demolishing the Kazekage's son!" one spectator exclaimed, his words meeting a wave of approval from everyone who heard him.

"Maybe we should be calling him the Yurearashi?' another suggested, his words sparking a debate on who was more deserving of the title, Naruto or Sasuke. Unknown to the surrounding crowd, Naruto had overheard the whole conversation and couldn't stop some jealousy from creeping into his heart.

_Can't I beat Sasuke in anything, _Naruto wondered with a doubt-riddled heart as he tightened his grip on his bokken.

--

"Gahh!!!" Gaara screamed as he was sent hurtling back from Sasuke's taijutsu assault. The effects of the Chidori Nagashi didn't just render his Suna no Tate (Shield of Sand) useless, but it also made his secondary defense, the Suna no Yoroi, ineffective as well. Devoid of his two strongest abilities, Gaara's weaknesses as a shinobi were now painfully obvious to the world and quite literally to himself.

Clutching his head, Gaara tried to suppress his mother's cries of outrage only to find his will waver. As it stood, he had little chance of defeating Sasuke, so with his last bits of remaining sand, Gaara formed a tightly compacted sphere around himself.

Taking the action as a personal challenge, Sasuke began focusing the Chidori Nagashi to his hand, particularly the gaps between his fingers.

"Chidori Senbon!" Sasuke shouted, knowing that he'd just spent the remaining chakra left in his Chidori Nagashi on this jutsu. However, the price was well worth it seeing as most of the needles cut through Gaara's sphere with little resistance.

"Gahhhh!!!" the sand genin cried from within his crumbling defense, confirming that his attack landed. Seeing this, Sasuke was now certain of his victory and went in for the final attack.

--

_It seems Gaara-kun just couldn't hold up his end of the bargain. No matter we will just have to commence the invasion early,_ the Kazekage thought, and with a single hand seal, unleashed several hypnotic feathers onto the stadium. The effects were almost instantaneous, and even the Hokage also fell victim to its lulling charms. However, the Kage was far too good for that, and he was already suspicious of betrayal, though the momentary lapse in defense did give the Kazekage a chance to abduct him from his honor guard and spirit them both away to their private battle ground.

--

In the stands, Naruto was the first to shrug off the genjutsu, his Reiki acting as a natural buffer to the hypnotic effects. However, what he awoke to was a raging battle in the midst of his very own village. Seeing that the death toll was already climbing rapidly, consisting mostly of Sound and Sand ninja, Naruto immediately called on his shinigami powers.

"Tenken: Kamikyukai!" Naruto shouted and instead of an instant rush of power, he felt a cold fury belonging to his shinigami spirit.

_No,_ was all Tenken said, leaving Naruto utterly speechless and confused.

Read and Review

A/N: Wow that was a rush. Despite having to redo all the fights from scratch, it was probably the most fun I've had writing in a while. Anyway, for those who are wondering the reason I changed the actual events of the matches was because the whole causality surrounding each match changed.

For Naruto vs Neji, both combatants actually researched ways to defeat the other, causing their strategies to change drastically when compared to that of canon (although I'm not sure canon Naruto had much of a strategy other than gut it out against Neji). As for Shikamaru versus Temari, there was no hole for Shikamaru to push Temari towards. So instead, Shikamaru used what was available to him, and that happened to be the terrain changes Naruto made during his match and the weights he'd started using because of his training. However, I will admit having the match end in a draw rather than Shikamaru's loss seemed more appropriate to me, because Temari always struck me as a competent kunoichi and having her win by forfeit never really sat well with me. That and the fact that tying with Shikamaru will undoubtedly drive her crazy played a part in the decision as well.

Now for the one I feel that people will demand the biggest explanation for, Sasuke vs. Gaara. Yes, Sasuke pretty much pwned Gaara in their fight, but you have to realize he knew of the basic mechanics to the Chidori before the exams as a whole began. Therefore, instead of spending the month trying to perfect that technique, he had time to develop variants that would give him more options in his fight with Gaara. And personally, I doubt canon Sasuke spent two and a half years just developing a handful of techniques based off the Chidori. He may have spent the time building up his conditioning so that he could use them with relative ease (something that this Sasuke has yet to attain, and certainly won't until much later).

Enough of Sasuke though, how about that cliffhanger? A cookie to anyone who can guess the reason why Tenken reacted the way he did and an even bigger cookie to the person who can guess why and what character in bleach the situation is referring back to (hint its as obvious as it may look, or maybe it might be if you think like I do lol). Anyway, enough of my babbling, and I'll try to get the next chapter off asap.

Jutsu Logue:

Doton: Seikitei (Earth Release: Rock Garden): A mid-level Earth jutsu that causes a spread of jagged rocks to sprout up in front of the user. While not particularly deadly, unless it catches an opponent off guard, it has many strategic advantages a smart shinobi can use to their benefit.

Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Violent Water Wave): water gushes out from the mouth like a waterfall and washes away the enemy. One can freely control the power of this technique with the amount chakra one releases. Having many variations, this is a basic Water Release technique.

Futon: Teishuriken (Wind Release: Air Shuriken): A mid-level Wind jutsu that creates numerous, self-propelled wind blades to attack an enemy from various angles. In the hands of a shinobi with large chakra reserves and decent control the number of blades can reach astronomical proportions, hence the reason it's so deadly in Naruto's hands.

Hakke: Byakurai (Eight Trigrams: Pale Lightning): The first hybrid Jyuuken-ninjutsu technique, Neji merges the molding skeleton of a Raiton jutsu to Jyuuken, thus literally having the power of lightning at his fingertips.

Kage Nigiri no jutsu (Shadow Grip Technique): A mid-level Nara clan jutsu, the user is able to contort the shape of their shadow into a fist that can damage an opponent as well as immobilize them.

Kagesochi no jutsu (Shadow Step Technique): A high level Nara clan jutsu that allows the user to warp between shadows with near undetectable stealth. However, despite its great strength, the technique is limited by the size of shadow, range, and user's chakra capacity, making it very difficult to use for lower level clan members.

Chidori Nagashi (Thousand Birds Current): A variation on a regular Chidori developed by Sasuke Uchiha during his month of preparations for the Chunin Exam Finals; this jutsu allows the user to generate non-focused electrically charged chakra from his body, instead of concentrating it in his hand.

Chidori Senbon (Thousand Birds Senbon): Sasuke reshapes the Chidori in his hand into the form of countless senbon. It has more specialized speed than the normal Chidori and can cause damage throughout multiple places on the body. Chidori Senbon can become even more effective by using it together with the Sharingan, allowing one to precisely shoot for the enemy's vital points.

Black Saint

Completed: 08/02/09

Edited: 08/14/09


	19. Rise Of The Black Moon Part 3

"": Spoken

'': Thoughts

Summary: People say death is only the beginning, and for Naruto that statement happens to be infinitely true considering he now is the container to all of greatest Demon Lord's chakra. However no told him of the price that came with it. Bleach elements NaruFemHaku

Disclaimer: For all those who want to know, I don't own Naruto or any other anime/manga series for that matter, but that doesn't stop me from writing.

Death of A Demon, Birth of A…

Previously...

"Tenken: Kamikyukai!" Naruto shouted and instead of an instant rush of power he felt a cold fury belong to his shinigami spirit.

'_No,'_ was all Tenken said, leaving Naruto utterly speechless.

Ch. 19: Rise Of The Black Moon Part 3

Dancing With The Devil

'_What do you mean, no!'_ Naruto retorted angrily after finally regaining his senses. All around him a war was raging, in his own home at that; and the one thing that would giving him power above all else, wasn't willing to lend him its strength.

'_Let me reiterate. I will not continue to be used as a common tool,'_ Tenken replied smoothly, causing Naruto's rage to build with every word.

'_Tool!? Ugh! I don't have time for this!'_ Naruto countered in exasperation before severing the link with his zanpakuto spirit. Scanning the arena, Naruto looked for a _productive_ outlet to his rage when he spotted Kakashi. The silver haired jonin was outnumbered three-to-one but before Naruto could even lift a finger to help, Kakashi dispatched all three of his opponents with a lightning fast taijutsu combination.

"Naruto activate your Reiki, it'll help dispel the genjutsu off of the rest arena," jonin commanded as he stepped out of a shunshin.

Kakashi's tone left no room for argument, and without missing a beat Naruto flared his chakra to the utmost max filling the whole stadium and beyond with his Reiki. Instantly all those sensitive to chakra awoke with a snap, slightly disoriented from the genjutsu. Realizing what was happening, the disillusioned Leaf ninja leapt into action evening the odds between the Sand and Sound ninja.

"Yahoo! Let's go kick some invader ass!" Kiba shouted, and with that war cry jumped right into the fray of battle. Only to be caught by the back of his collar by Kakashi's speedy reflexes.

"Easy there! The Hokage already has a specific mission in mind for you lot, so if you will turn your attention to Sakura she will debrief you on the situation," Kakashi added with a wink before disappearing in a shunshin.

And in unison all the surrounding genin turned their attention to Sakura, who was caught between wondering how Kakashi knew of her recent promotion and wanting to kill the man for turning the spotlight onto her. However duty quickly ruled over all other emotions, and Sakura proceeded on to explaining the situation.

"The village is currently being invaded by Sound and Sand ninja, and before you ask the only reason I knew of it before hand was because I received a field promotion to chunin after helping uncover their plot," Sakura uttered, pausing to make sure everyone was on track.

"As of now our orders are to assist any fellow ninja and civilians that are caught in the crossfire of the attack, so that means securing the arena and assisting Sasuke in his pursuit of those Suna siblings," Sakura continued before Kiba interrupted yet again.

"Let me go after those Sand genin! I'll tear them to shreds with my Gatsuga!"

"No," was all Sakura said, drawing an incredulous look from the feral shinobi. However before Kiba could try to exert his dominance over the girl, Shino grabbed his shoulder thus giving Sakura a chance to explain her reasons.

"Kiba I'm not questioning your strength, but you're a close range fighter whose primary discipline is taijutsu and supplementary ninjutsu. Gaara has proven, against a _**stronger**_ opponent, that taijutsu on its own isn't going to be enough. So instead of sending you into a fight where your likely to end up a liability or worse dead, I'd rather focus your strengths here where they can be put to far better use," Sakura rationalized quickly, the gears turning in her head as she thought of effective ways to split their fighting force.

While the Sandaime intended for Sakura to lead all the genin as one force to reduce the chances of causalities, Gaara's attempt to flee and Sasuke's impulsive flight made that plan a bit harder to execute. Sasuke was good, great even, but against Gaara and his siblings Sakura knew that her former heartthrob was going to need a lot of back up if he was going to pull a victory out of this one.

"So far we've seen that Gaara's main method of attack can be countered with either a high speed assault or an appropriate use of ranged ninjutsu," Sakura said as she cast her gaze over the collected shinobi around her. The Rookie Nine, bar Sasuke, and Team Gai, bar Neji, were all assembled before her as well as Haku and Kimimaro from her ill-fated Wave Mission. Quickly recalling all of their strengths and techniques, Sakura was thankful for her large forehead for once seeing as it housed one of the most brilliant minds in her generation.

"Naruto, Haku, Shino, and Shikamaru. You four will go after the Sand trio and provide support for Sasuke; and seeing as your probably the smartest person here, Shikamaru I would like you to lead them," Sakura ordered, despite a barely audible grumble from Kiba.

"Figures, the one time I show any real effort and I'm now being bombarded with responsibility," the lazy genin bemoaned before taking off with his team.

'_Alright now we have that taken care of...'_ and without another word the remaining youth went forth to liberate the stadium.

--

Charging a kunai with water chakra, Iruka pressed the all-purpose knife to his opponent's blade and as planned the opposing weapon slid to the side of his with little resistance. The sound nin's look of surprise were his dying acts as Iruka plunged the, now lightning attuned, kunai into his sternum severing all the way through the spinal column. The man was dead before he even hit the floor.

Turning around Iruka scanned the arena for any further opposition only to find that his area had been cleared by the young Hyuuga Heiress. A small smile crept up on the secret Anbu agent's face, remembering the stuttering girl that he'd first met all those years ago. However that look was quickly replaced with a look of curiosity when Hinata doses a man with a water ninjutsu. The Suna nin was not deterred though, still thinking that the young Hyuuga would be an easy kill. However before he could lay a finger on her, Hinata reached out and grabbed the man her hand coated with a weak lightning ninjutsu.

The effects were easily foreseeable to a water and lightning master like himself, but Iruka was undoubtedly surprised to see that Hinata had also deviated from the rigid Hyuuga doctrine of relying solely on Jyuuken and began practicing ninjutsu.

'_Interesting, I may have to speak with Hiashi-sama about some extended tutoring,'_ Iruka considered fleetingly before turning his attention to the forms stepping out of various shunshins around him.

"Everyone except Yamato eh? Well it's still good to see you all even if it's under such grim circumstances," Iruka utter congenially, recognizing all the faces around with perfect clarity. Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, and Yuugao having all appeared from different posts along the inside of the coliseum; and despite their varying garbs and positions in the village they all shared one common link.

And that link was being a member of the Vizards…

It was in indeed strange to them that of all the shinobi and civilians captured and experimented, they survived and were able to go on to form one of the most feared and secretive black opts units ever conceived. However despite their survival each of them bore scars none could see behind their proverbial masks. Which is something the incoming wave of Oto-nin were about to learn the hard way.

"Sorry I'm late, got lost on the road of life," Kakashi stated as he plunged a single kunai into one unfortunate nin's eye.

"No fear my hip rival! My youthfulness will be more than enough to make up for you sloth-like inadequacies!" The eccentric declaration proved to be too much of a distraction for Gai's opponent, and while still wearing his million-dollar smile he nearly snapped the man in two with a well-placed kick.

"And their off, man I would think both of them would tire of this game they play," Asuma chimed as he cut a bloody swath through a duo of sound shinobi who were unfortunate enough to fall within range of his trusty trench knives.

Nearby the four males could make out the telltale distortions of genjutsu and the faint of a ninjato cutting the air, as Kurenai wrecked bloody havoc on the enemy forces by whether driving them insane through her bewitchment or turning them against one another while Yuugao picked off the more resistant ones with practiced ease. Unanimously it was oddly unnerving to see men being broken down so easily by the two women, but guys quickly relented better those fools then them.

"Try to keep your mouth closed boys, we still have a lot of work to do," Kurenai taunted as the two flew toward another batch of sound nin. The cacophonous sounds of the duo's work reached the quartet of jonins' ears and for once they felt enticed to actually go toward the noise.

"Well you heard the ladies," Iruka chimed before they all leapt into battle as well.

--

Sarutobi didn't know what to make of his enemy. Part of him was relieved that it wasn't Orochimaru given the fact that in his old age he may not have been able to take down the traitor snake, whereas another part of him was insulted this his student would underestimate him enough to send only his subordinate to fight him. No, after closer inspection the Sandaime Hokage knew what to make of the young imposter genin Kabuto in front of him.

It was the gravest of insults to a shinobi of his standing and caliber, one that he was going to make Orochimaru and -definitely- Kabuto regret perpetrating.

"Boy you are 100 years too earily to be challenging me to a shinobi duel! Where is your master? I know Orochimaru is behind this charade, and the sooner he comes out the sooner I can rectify my greatest mistake,"

However Kabuto's response wasn't the one Hiruzen predicted.

"Ha, dear Saru-kun I do believe you are underestimating me,"

Angered by his insolence Sarutobi brandished a simple kunai before hurling it and unleashing a sealless wind jutsu. With that alone Sarutobi intended on finishing the fight, however he found that instead of the cold steel knife plunging into the pseudo-genin's trachea he only managed to slice off his ponytail. The Hokage knew his aim was true and only went to prove that Kabuto was more skilled than he expected, which greatly unsettled the veteran fighter.

Removing his glasses, Kabuto toyed with his bound hair a little bit before finally running one of his fiendishly slender hands through it, freeing it from its homely looking style and replacing it with a surprising sinister new look.

Seeing this, the Hokage immediately was on guard having sense both the aura of his opponent and the amount of chakra the boy was producing seemed to skyrocket. It was close to – if not equal to – the amount of chakra he possessed during his prime, something that both astounded and shook him to his core.

"H-How…,"

"You miscalculated old man when you assumed that it was your student that was in charge. Like he before you, you underestimated my age thinking it to be my liability against an opponent such as yourself. However let my ask you, do you have the power of a god?" The question was simple but spoke multitudes to the wizened shinobi.

Seeing the old man's eyes widen, Kabuto allowed a deceptively innocent smile to play across his face.

"I assume you got to what I was speaking of then correct? The Shiki Fuin, the only seal that allows someone to make a deal with a death god itself. Well by itself that power is formidable but fatal, however when couple with another technique, say Naiteki Kai, well lets just say even the soul of a newborn babe can be forever altered," and with that Kabuto's expression became sinister.

"What power has my wayward student wrought on you?" Sarutobi questioned in fear, wondering if he could defeat an opponent such as the one that stood before him.

"One that even he can't control. For you see I've always known the shinigami within me, it whispers and murmurs molding me into what I am…"

"And that would be?" Sarutobi asked apprehensively, trying to get a handle on what he was dealing with.

"A God. Now Shatter: Kyoka Suigetsu," and with that a surge of light flooded the rooftop, consuming both combatants where they stood.

--

Something wasn't right. Naruto could feel it, all the way down to his bones, and quite frankly it scared him. Steeling his nerves Naruto reminded himself he had to be strong, especially now that Tenken wouldn't be helping him. The mere reminder of the sword spirit's change of heart irritated the blonde to no end, and it was beginning to affect his travelling companions.

"Uzumaki calm yourself, your excess chakra is fluctuating and is bothering my kikai," and like that Shino's monotone snapped Naruto out of daze. Reining the chakra back under his control Naruto silently cursed himself for getting so distracted in the first place, having now sensed a platoon of Oto shinobi closing in on their position.

"Eight coming from the rear," Naruto announced quietly.

"No there are nine, my kikai have relayed the position of the sweeper outside their formation," Shino amended, much to the displeasure of his comrades.

'_Nine pursuers so soon… Someone needs to stay behind and take care of them now otherwise it may be too late to save Sasuke,' _and with a grim face Shikamaru realized if anyone had any chance of stopping all their pursuers it was him.

"Guys I'll stay behind," Shikamaru announced before slipping down from amongst the treetops and into a clearly below. As predicted his three traveling companions all stopped and looked at him incredulously, Naruto even looked ready to fight him.

"Shikamaru are you crazy! You may be the smartest guy I know, possibly the smartest ninja bar the old man but even you know nine ninja are outside your ability!" the blonde argued angrily ready to pound Shikamaru's face in for even suggesting stay behind.

"Haha its times like these that you convince me that you'd make a great Hokage,"

Now that wasn't what Naruto was expecting.

Neither was the punch to the diaphragm that knocked the air out of his lungs and the follow through to the temple that put him out like a light.

"Here Shino you carry him until he regains consciousness, and knowing him it won't be long so hurry up," the chunin ordered before catching Haku's glare from the corner of his eye as the bug warrior took off.

"Haku understand this, Naruto is the only hope this village has at beating Gaara. I don't know how yet but its my warranted belief that he will do it, and if that means knocking the future Hokage unconscious to do so well I'd do it a thousand times over again,"

The ice girl at the shadow wielder with a critical eye, as if trying to find any sort of maliciousness within his claim. When she found none a small smile graced her features. Shikamaru truly believe Naruto could become Hokage, and for that she was eternally thankful. So without word she left, pushing hard to catch up with Shino and the incapacitated Naruto.

"Now for these idiots," Shikamaru muttered as he leaned heavily against on of Konoha's many trees. Resting deeply under the shaded trunk-side the shadow user extended his control into many linking shadows behind him.

"Gotcha,"

--

"HISSsss-," but that's all Kyodaiji could utter before being beheaded by Gamahiro. The death of the multi-headed snake put the combined Sand and Sound ninja in full retreat, however before Jiraiya could pursue from atop his stead a purple blur quickly surrounded the pairing, cutting them off from the fleeing ninja.

"Well its seems you've finally managed to retain some power with age. I wonder, sitting atop a grand summon like that, looking down on the fleeing forces… Do you think that's how Hanzou felt all those years ago?"

Turning towards the hauntingly familiar voice, Jiraiya didn't know whether to be blinded by fury or riddled with regret, because before him stood Orochimaru atop the strongest of the snake summons who was all but poised to deliver a crippling blow.

"What are you doing here?!" Jiraiya's mind raced as the implications of his ex-teammate's presence hit him. Did Orochimaru manage to defeat Sarutobi? Even more so was he able to do it without getting a scratch on him? And lastly, and probably most importantly, was he able to defeat a menace that could kill the 'God of Shinobi'?

"Still an idiot I see. However I'm feeling generous today so I'll spell it out for you. I'm here to kill you Jiraiya!" the traitorous snake declared while raising his fabled long sword above his head.

The action immediately put Jiraiya on guard, not because of the notoriety of the weapon but because of the method in which Orochimaru was wielding it. For Jiraiya, who'd survived many encounters with and against the Snake Sanin, could instantly tell that something was off with the Kusanagi weapon.

'_First off Orochimaru never reveals the weapon right off the bat, he usually prefers to hid it in his stomach and string it out when his opponent is at his weakest. Plus he's never been one to wield it in his hand unless he's fighting someone with an equally deadly weapon. So that leaves either two options, either Orochimaru is working through some sort of proxy or there has been a huge change in his fighting style over the last few years,'_ Jiraiya concluded, eyes watching keenly for any sudden movements.

Orochimaru wasn't one to disappoint and without preamble he and Manda surged forth, attacking high from Gamahiro's blind spot. The grand toad was not to be underestimated however and with a great leap he managed to get out of the way of Manda's fangs. However Jiraiya realized they were far from the clear, because with frightening accuracy Orochimaru aimed his favorite weapon at the airborne pair and with seemingly no warning the Kusanagi blade extended to impossible lengths.

"Hiro block!" Jiraiya ordered, and just in time because despite its skill the heavenly blade pressed up against Gamahiro's twin katana with frightening strength. The blow threw off the toad's equilibrium and true to form Manda capitalized on the advantage charge forward again, this time with its whip like tail instead of his lethal fangs.

Gamahiro blocked the blow, but his awkward angle didn't aid at all with absorbing the shock and because of that the giant toad was sent careening into the forest just outside of Konoha's walls. Thinking quickly Jiraiya unleashed a massive Goukakyuu to cover their backs as they gathered themselves, however the tactic proved to be a mistake seeing as both Manda and Orochimaru had disappeared from sight.

Quickly scanning the battlefield Jiraiya chanced upon a burrow hole hidden amongst the trees.

"Shit Hiro below!" and just in the nick of time because Manda's tail came up from underneath the earth to skewer the two from below. Seeing a chance Jiraiya jumped off the toad head and immediately began flitting through a complex series of seals. Upon hitting the ground, Jiraiya plunged his hands into the hard earth having finished the high level jutsu.

"Doton: Yomi Numa!" the Sanin cried as the once hard earth morphed into a toxic swamp, one that Orochimaru and his pet summon were currently swimming in. As predicted the purple monster of a snake came flying out from his underground hiding place, right into the waiting clutches of Gamahiro.

"Take this!" the toad cried as his scissored blades found Manda's neck, de-summoning the evil creature before he could sever its head from its body. However Manda's lost wasn't to go unavenged, for despite being lost in all the action Orochimaru wasn't going to let his presence be ignored.

"Let see how you like being skewered toady. Ikorose Shinso!" and with that both Sanin where engulfed in a flash of light.

--

"Teshi Sendan (Finger Bullet)!" the normally silent teen cried before unleashing a hail of bone bullets at a trio of Oto ninja. Secretly the bone user configured the very fibers of his bones into a seal pattern, and although unseen to even the trained eye the seals latent effects activated just as the attack was called.

So the nigh invisible bones flew forth with frightening accuracy before cutting through the skulls of two unfortunate sound ninja, the third however spun a kunai around his finger in hopes to block the bone projectile only to find that the little bone packed a far more powerful punch than he anticipated. The kunai flew out of his hand as if it been hit by an Oni's kanabo, taking with it the finger it was spinning around.

"Surrender. You are unable to perform any nin or genjutsu and I extremely doubt you can defeat me in taijutsu while after having lost so much blood,"

"H-How?"

"Simple, I used a seal to increase the density of my bones several times over. Combine the increased weight with the high speeds it was already flying at and you have a much higher energy output than normal," the bone user explained in a bored tone.

The sound nin's follow up question was cut short when he finally passed out from blood loss. Not that Kimimaro would have been answered seeing as he wasn't too keen on sharing his secret sealing method just yet. Turning his attention to the seven chakra signatures amidst a mass of rapidly dwindling Sound nin chakras, Kimimaro idly noted that Iruka and the Vizards had taken back a third of the stadium on their own already!

It seemed that with the appearance of the Iruka and his old Anbu team, winning back the arena was only a matter of time. However it seemed as though it was time the Konoha ninja didn't have, for it looked like the day would only go from bad to worse.

"Sakura we need to get to the Hokage NOW! He's being held captive somewhere near the stadium!" Ino shouted while looking like a disheveled mess, her hair looking as if someone tried to tear it from her scalp and her clothes were damn near painted with blood. However after reading the mind of nearly dead sound jonin neither of those things bothered Ino in the slightest, seeing as their Hokage may be in a life or death struggle as they spoke.

As it stood only Sakura and the rest of the genin knew this, and despite their inexperience they all realized that it was their duty to help the Hokage whether or not doing such would be the death of them. Even still the newly minted pink haired chunin mustered her will and prepared for what could be her final duty.

"Lee, Tenten, Ino, Chouji your with me! Hinata, Kimimaro, and Kiba open up a path for us!" their pink haired leader commanded, channeling her inner self to the fullest. The genin immediately fell in into place before dashing through the opening in the enemy formation created by Kiba's Gatsuga, Hinata's water jutsu, and Kimimaro seal charged bone bullets.

The group of five moved quickly cutting done any sound ninja that wandered into their line of fire, and despite a few close calls with a lone jonin the group made it to the central tower where the Hokage was being held relatively unharmed. However now before them stood an imposing obelisk, which at the top, held their village leader within a purple beacon-like barrier.

"Ino is this where the Oto jonin thought the Sandaime was being held?" Sakura asked frustrated. She knew nothing barriers, or sealing jutsu for that matter, and by the looks of it this was a fairly complex piece of work.

"Yes, but he was fairly positive that the barrier was impenetrable," Ino amended, as the group quickly ascended the noting that there was a clear absence of sound ninja in the area.

Begging the question, were Konoha Anbu just _that_ good or was the enemy that confident that the Sandaime would fall?

"That is correct Yamanaka-san. We suspect that no jutsu under S-rank could damage the barrier, let alone penetrate it," a nameless Anbu voiced from behind, addressing Ino's early statement. To the Anbu team's surprise the group of genin didn't jump in fright, but merely uncoiled their tense muscles once they realized that they weren't going to be ambushed at their destination.

'_These kids are good, but they still have a long way to go…'_ the first Anbu noted, before silently beckoning his team, as well as the genin, to turn their attention to the purple barrier before them.

In the center Sarutobi Hiruzen stood, adamantine staff held defensively in front of him, scanning left to right as if trying to detect some unseen foe. Who was, to their surprise, none other than the seven-tome-failure Kabuto!

"What's wrong with the Sandaime-sama? Can't he see Kabuto?!" Sakura finally voiced when Kabuto began to calmly walk as if nothing was amiss. Her question went unanswered as the Hokage lashed out with his staff did the genin see Kabuto true strength. The teen appeared to be struck only to disappear without a trace, a second later.

The technique was much like Naruto's shunpo, only with Kabuto there was no wasted, sporadic movements. It was like the Hokage's blows were phasing through him, but as the onslaught continued the genin were able to note that Kabuto wasn't becoming intangible but that he was moving so quickly that the Hokage was hitting afterimages!

Dodging with almost uncanny accuracy Sakura realized that she was correct and the Hokage couldn't see Kabuto, but was tracking the traitor through some sort of chakra sensory skill.

"We have to hurry! At this rate the Hokage will run out of chakra before he can defeat Kabuto!" Sakura cried, noting that in his age the Hokage was likely to have lost a step or two.

"Kabuto? He disappeared after that flash of light, and now all we can see is the Lord Hokage-sama trying to escape from the barrier the four surrounding him are holding up," the Anbu answered skeptically, wondering if some sort of genjutsu had been cast over the fledging ninja. Unconcerned with the man's suspicions, Sakura's mind was running a mile a minute trying to piece together the clues that lay before her.

'_The Hokage-sama and these Anbu have all been put under a genjutsu. One that's area wide and is triggered by seeing a 'flash of light'…'_

"That explains why we can see it but they can't," Sakura voiced aloud before genius struck her.

"Light! Light can pass through the barrier which means that energy can as well, and moreover chakra can pass through the barrier considering that the 'flash of light' you saw placed you all under some sort of powerful genjutsu," Sakura exclaimed as she immediately set out to test her theory.

"Wait genjutsu?! Haruno-san no jutsu less than S-rank can possibly hope to penetrate that barrier I assure you that," the Anbu asserted firmly not believe he and his whole team could have been put under such a powerful genjutsu without even noticing.

"Probably because you only used elemental jutsu. If the barrier works like I think it does it only stops solid matter, meaning that all elemental jutsu would be near useless against it. However genjutsu and pure chakra on the other hand…" Sakura left off, realizing from Anbu's silence at least most of her hypothesis was correct.

'_But that doesn't mean that he isn't right and only S-class genjutsu or pure chakra manipulation techniques can penetrate the barrier,'_ Sakura recalled while biting her lip in worry. Thinking back to the genjutsu that lead her to her hunch, its effects were pretty powerful.

'_Area-effecting, multiple sense disrupting, self-sustaining genjutsu… yup definitely S-class,'_ and with that thought Sakura stepped forward. Testing her first hypothesis the rosette channeled her hard won chakra into space between her palms. The air distorted, but otherwise was unnoticeable.

"Now for the hard part," and with a small breath Sakura extended her built up chakra. The barrier resisted but like a water soaked towel it allowed some of the life energy to slip through and disturb the motes of dust flitting in the air behind it. The results didn't go unnoticed by any of the Anbu but the excited Sakura ignored them in favor of letting out a breath of relief before quickly gathering herself and returning to work.

"Anbu-san is anyone on your team a sensor type?" Sakura asked aloud, but when her question was left unanswered she wondered if the Anbu was unable to answer her due to a breach in protocol.

"Haruno-san…" the team leader seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. Casting his gaze to the barrier then back to the genin, the Anbu seemed to be waging a silent debate with himself.

"- I believe what captain means to say is that only recon, interrogation, and infiltration teams are given a sensor specialist. Are team doesn't fall into any of those categories so we wouldn't have one," another Anbu cut in, earning a sharp looking from his commander.

However after a moment the leader of the black opts team relaxed, realizing that no vital information about his team was given and that his comrade circumvented the problem almost as if he was casually spitting out facts.

"Shit!" Sakura cried in an uncharacteristic show of vulgarity.

All her planning was for naught; for without a sensor nin she couldn't figure out which nin was most sensitive to genjutsu, thus her idea to disrupt that ninja's chakra with genjutsu and causing the whole structure to collapse would only have a one and four shot of working.

Not good odds when gambling with the Hokage's life, and possibly the wellbeing of their whole village!

"-sor type," a voice called

"What?" Sakura asked having only caught the back end of the statement.

"I'M A SENSOR TYPE DAMNIT!" Ino shouted, having been attempting to get Sakura's attention for the last few minutes.

"What!? WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY SO!" Sakura retorted, Ino having drawn out her ire.

"Oh shut up forehead and let me work," Ino shot before closing her eyes and blowing out a breath of air in anger.

'_Call yourself, find your center, and then let your senses expand…'_ Ino thought recalling her lessons in Torture and Interrogation, or TI for short. Stretching her senses out Ino began see the four sound ninjas' chakra with her mind's eye.

Thinking back to her training over the past month Ino recalled that when sensing someone's chakra their were several ways to categorize them, the simplest being to see if they were a tai, nin, or genjutsu specialist.

To do that Ino had been taught a few trends to look for when trying to decipher a ninja's specialty. For taijutsu specialist would be to see if there was chakra heavily concentrated in the major muscle groups. Whereas for a ninjutsu specialist their chakra would be more concentrated around the hands and their chakra would be the brightest signifying their larger reserves. As for a genjutsu specialist their chakra would be focused mainly around the brain and would be the calmest of them all signifying their heightened control.

"The two boys, no wait three the one in the far corner seems to have someone hiding in him, are taijutsu specialist," Ino pointed out with her eyes still closed.

"The six armed guy is a ninjutsu specialist,"

"And last the girl in the corner closest to us is a genjutsu specialist," Ino finshed before opening her eyes, which were slightly illuminated by the chakra coursing through her.

"Good just what we were looking for," Sakura announced as she made her way towards the meditating redhead.

"Haruno-san what do you plan to do?" the Anbu commander asked.

"Remember how I predicted that only pure chakra or genjutsu could possibly pierce the barrier? Well I figure since it worked but was greatly buffered by the barrier, a genjutsu would have a similar effect. And while it wouldn't be strong enough to influence ninja of their caliber in anyway, if we aim it at the one who is most attuned to genjutsu her chakra made automatically move to dispel it thus causing the barrier to slip while her chakra fluctuates."

Silence laid heavy as all those present admired just how brilliant Sakura was for a moment, well at least until the smart-ass from Anbu team decided that the moment was too tempting to pass up.

"Well I'll be damned! It seems her forehead is used for something other than reflecting sunlight!"

--

Naruto blinked as his vision finally came back into focus. Gone were the lush green leaves and hardy trees that decorated his homeland, and instead he found himself in a dojo with dark cherry wood floor surround by crimson and gold fusuma doors. Upon closer inspection the sliding doors seemed to be depicting a red sun shining down serene forest.

Just like the ones he'd seen in his visions of Kyuubi…

Climbing quickly to his feet Naruto scanned the area for any demons, all the while wondering why he was in a place like this and how he was going to get out in time to help his village with the invasion. His private inquiries however were instantly silenced when a regal voiced called out from behind him.

"You've finally made it, now we can finally talk,"

Kneeling at the head of a low table, Tenken idly poured his tea as Naruto's glare burrowed into his head.

"Impressive killing intent, but sit we have much to dis…,"

"-I already said I don't have time for this," Naruto replied angrily before turning his back on the spirit in search of an exit.

Big mistake…

A wave of killing intent swept through the room like raging wind. Everything stopped for the blonde as focusing on keeping his heart beating became his foremost task, but even then he couldn't stop the sentient sword's words from knifing their way into his mind.

"Listen well boy. You have abused my power and disrespected by position for the last time!" Tenken thundered his voice hardened as if daring Naruto to provoke him.

"What abuse, what disrespect! Last time I checked you offered me power, and told me to use you!" Naruto fired back, having once again found his diamond hard resolve that made him Konoha's most unpredictable ninja.

"And like a child you took them, not bothering to learn more of their origin or what consequences that they may entail. You boy are no better than that sealed teammate of yours, wishing to use another's power for your sole benefit," Tenken taunted with haunting accuracy.

Silently Naruto willed his anger under control, knowing that flying off the handle would go on to prove Tenken's assessment. Unfortunately his control failed and, with a flash of shunpo, Naruto crossed the table in an instant.

Only to find that Tenken was gone…

Tracking the trace amounts of energy still lingering from Tenken's flight Naruto stop dead his tracks when he felt the cold steel of a zanpakuto pressed against the base of his first thoracic vertebrae.

"Ah it seems I've struck a cord. However regardless of your feelings my words still hold to be true. You are naught but a child toying with powers beyond your comprehension,"

"Then why, in your infinite wisdom, did you let me toy with these powers Tenken?"

"I know for a ninja you are awfully gullible. Do you honestly believe I'd give you my name, it being the key to unlocking my power, to you within just moments of meeting you?"

"No, what you know of me is a farce, constructed to test your character as a person and sadly you have failed in that regard," the no nameless spirit finished as he lowered his blade and turned away from the blonde.

"So my village will be punished! Look I don't care if you're mad at me, but I need your power to help defend my village,"

"If that be the cost of your hubris then yes your village will suffer and possibly even perish,"

Naruto was shaken by the sword spirit's cold response. Part of him wanted to rage against the sword spirit, defeat him and then force him to give up his power. However another part rationalized the action as foolhardy at best, because if the spirit's words were true then a partnership would be the only way to save his village.

"Well then test me again, I don't care the cost but this time I will prove myself to you,"

The spirit formerly known as Tenken was taken aback, to demand a retest was so…

"-Naruto… Are you sure you are willing to go that far?"

"I'm willing to do anything for my village," the blonde uttered. Naruto stood unmoving in front of his wayward partner, his bright blue eyes peering into the Shinigami's red one as they held a silent battle of wills.

"Well then your test is to show me that same potential you had in your battle with Kimimaro,"

"And how do I do that?"

"That Naruto, you'll have to figure out yourself," was all the young shinobi heard before everything faded into darkness.

---

"Hn," Shino grunted as he shifted his weight mid step to avoid the hail of senbon hurtling towards him. The metal needles embedded themselves into the tree branch with a dull thunk, and judging from the purple taint spreading throughout the old timber's branches neither Leaf nin needed a medic to tell them their foe's weapons were poisoned. Thinking of only one nin you would possibly use poisoned weapons, Shino turned towards the source of his kikai's distress.

"Well color me surprised! You Leaf-nin actually managed to evade my trap. It a good thing Temari and I split up then isn't it, otherwise you may have gotten to Gaara in time" Kankuro taunted, confirming Shino's suspicions. Betraying his normally Zen-esque expression, Shino let a nigh-invisible smirk play on his features.

The bug-wielding boy spent the whole month preparing himself for his finals match with the Suna puppeteer; and while his clan had a history of being Konoha's counter to that unique brand of shinobi, Shino wasn't one to leave things to chance.

No, over the course of the month Shino threw himself into his clan archives looking for any and all data he could find on Suna puppeteers, and to his luck he hit the jackpot. Glaring at the Suna puppeteer stood before them flanked by his formidable puppet, Shino recognized the model from his reading in his clan archive.

"Haku-san you take Naruto and continue. I'll deal with this," Shino said while handing the unconscious blonde over to the dark haired kunoichi. Haku complied, idly noting that was the most Shino had ever said to her.

"Shino-san… be careful," Haku replied after a moment of searching for something to say.

A nod was the only indication he'd heard her, and with that the young ice mistress was off. Her flight wasn't uncontested though, and just as fast as she took off Kankuro's puppet flew into action darting quickly towards its quarry under the skilled hands of its master. However just as the poisoned blades were about to descend upon the fleeing female a wall of kikai appeared between the two, forcing Kankuro to command his puppet into full retreat.

However the Aburame heir was persistent in his pursuit, releasing a second wave of his faithful familiars to attack his foe. Unfortunately though Kankuro disappeared into the foliage while Shino's focus was on protecting Haku, leaving only his puppet to fight in his proxy. Recognizing the strategy from his readings Shino allowed his kikai to swarm, realizing that all he needed to do was latch one female onto his opponent and the match would be his.

And so the chakra-eating insects did just that and covered the complex ninja tool with their innumerable masses. Instinctively the insects sought out the chakra strings tethering the puppet to Kankuro's will, however instead of finding the hiding genin at the end of the chakra-string-road Shino's familiar stormed head first into several caches of potent insecticide!

Shino's furrowing brows were the only discernable sign of his frustration. His opponent had read through his strategy, stretched his forces thin, before destroying sixty percent of his hive in one fell swoop.

"Did you think that stone age strategy would work! The times when we puppeteers were at the mercy of you Aburame are over, welcome to the future little leaflet!" Kankuro's voice boasted from all directions.

'_Voice projection technique as well as multiple relay points for his chakra strings,'_ Shino deducted as he called his diminished forces to bear. The loss of over half his colony was a heavy blow, but village on the line he would have to persevere.

'_Hopefully the others are having better luck,'_ and with that the Aburame blurred into action.

---

"Uhggg my head," Naruto moaned as he began to stir on Haku's shoulder.

Immediately the slender teen came to a halt and lowered the blonde onto a tree branch in one fluid motion. Scanning the area for any immediate signs of danger, Haku flew into full-medic mode when she found none.

While normally wary of doctors because of their over tendency to blow the smallest injuries out of proportion, Naruto decided he didn't particularly mind Haku's fretting. A not-so-small part of him thought it felt good to have someone his age show care,

Well more care than friendly camaraderie.

'_This is… Heaven,'_ Naruto concluded after several moments of searching for the right word. It was then that he decided that under Haku's care was the best place to be, and he'd be damned if anyone or anything took that away from him.

Which unfortunately meant he'd have to go and defeat Gaara to keep it that way…

"Haku-chan I'm fine," Naruto uttered softly, no malice or irritation anywhere in his voice.

The brunette medic instantly flushed before stuttering out a series of apologizes while refusing to meet Naruto's eyes. Smiling the blonde cupped the girls hands gently, silently beckoning her to look into his eyes. Naruto's sky blues stared deeply Haku's earth browns silencing all of Haku's apologies under its intense gaze. Seeing that he had her attention Naruto let a soft, genuine, smile spread across his face, sending an involuntary shiver snaking its way down Haku's back. The two stayed like that for what seemed to be an eternity before the gravity of the situation settled back over them.

"Thank you," Naruto whispered, before the two sped off towards Gaara's growing chakra.

---

Sasuke was not happy. In fact one could say he was rather angry. The reason? Well Gaara had currently undergone a transformation that rendered his Chidori Nagashi ineffective against his sand armor. So instead of pummeling Suna's ace like a normal Uchiha, he was being tossed around like some sort of second-rate shinobi.

After taking a particularly nasty from Gaara's mutant arm, Sasuke decided it was time to group before he was seeing more than stars in his vision. So quicker than the weighed down Suna-nin could follow, Sasuke fled into the forest canopy leaving Gaara to clumsily attempt to follow.

'_The armor… He's compacted so much chakra into it my Chidori Nagashi is no longer disabling it like before,'_ Sasuke concluded after taking a closer look with his Sharingan. Never before was the broody boy more thankful for the twin swirling tomoes orbiting in his eyes, but even with the benefits they granted him Sasuke still didn't have a sure-fire way to pierce Gaara's armor.

"Come out Uchiha! Where is your pride? Did you lose it when you found out your little lightning tricks won't work anymore? Or were you always a coward and simply wants to fight only when his opponents are weaker than himself?"

Upon hearing Gaara's taunts Sasuke tried to subdue his anger, however Gaara's words prickled more than his pride and caused the curse seal on his shoulder to flicker with life. Gritting his teeth Sasuke tried to fight back the dark euphoria that was spreading throughout his chakra coils, but soon found the effort to be nearly unless.

'_Go show him your might… Make him regret challenging your Uchiha blood,'_

Taking in a deep breath Sasuke allowed the seal's whispering to warp his mind as the fiery trials of the curse seal decorated his body. Exhaling Sasuke let a fiendish smile spread across his features, before bursting into action.

Time slowed for the Uchiha survivor. It was like the world was sifting through mud while he alone retained the ability to move normally. It felt good, no it was better than good, the power the seal granted him was like drug, a narcotic that quenched his unending thirst for power and fed his superiority psychosis.

Weaving pass Gaara's arm of sand, Sasuke finished the hand seals for the Chidori mid-run before plunging the spear of lightning into his opponent's outstretched arm. Although Gaara wasn't physically harmed by the assault on his sand made pseudo limb, he was shocked to see how the once ineffective Raiton techniques were once again cutting through his defenses like a kunai through flesh.

Sensing the danger its host was in, the sentient sand armor that protected Gaara began fortifying itself insane amounts of youki laced chakra causing his transformation to take a turn for the worse.

A potent killing intent swept through area, and time came speeding back for Sasuke as his curse seal enhanced speed was stopped dead in its tracks thanks to Gaara's thicker and fully repaired sand armor. The torque from the sudden stop nearly tore trapped boy's arm out of socket causing the boy to let out an involuntary grunt of pain, as he struggled with Gaara's enhanced Suna no Yoroi.

However the dark power had its price, and in trade for increased speed and power Sasuke chakra reserves were sapped at an alarming rate. The drain was so severe that when Gaara reared back to deliver another one of his dizzying haymakers, all the dark haired prodigy could do was watch as the blow came with his Sharingan enhanced vision.

"Nighty night Uchiha,"

Sasuke's world jerked violently as he was sent careening through his homelands renowned forests, his blurring into unconsciousness as he watched his curse seal recede and his supercharged Chidori dim into oblivion.

"Whoa there champ, don't die on me yet," an irritating familiar voiced called out to Sasuke coaxing him away from blissful slumber and back to the realm of the living.

"Dobe he's strong… Be careful," Sasuke warned through a strained voice.

Naruto's eyebrows arched at the urgency in Sasuke's plea. Was his opponent so strong that he was able to humble Sasuke to the point where he'd come to him, his rival, for help? Knowing what a colossal jackass Sasuke could be, the prospect of fighting an opponent that humble him didn't sit well with Naruto.

"Noted. Haku stand back for a second, I want to see what were up against. After I've assessed the threat I'll leave it to your discretion on how to proceed,"

Steeling himself, Naruto dashed off in a burst of Shunpo before reappearing above Gaara. The mutated teen didn't have a chance to react, seeing as soon as he spotted Naruto a chakra replete Kuukigiri was already bearing down on him at incredible speeds. The edge of wind chakra splashed hard against Gaara's sand armor. However much like the Chidori before it, Naruto's attack was quickly rebuffed by the dense, self-repairing sand.

Thinking quickly Naruto ecaded Gaara's counter with a flash of shunpo and upon reappearing housed Gaara down with a Suiton: Mizurappa. While normally water jutsu are ineffective against earth jutsu the water soaked the normally malleable sand into soppy silt which proved to be less responsive than fine grains of sand.

'_Now let's try this again…_ Kuukigiri!"

Like before a wedge of wind chakra sliced into Gaara's protective clock, only this time not only did the slash penetrate the defenses but the sand's regeneration factor seemed to be voided as well!

Seeing his chance Naruto rushed in as group of recently spawned clones blasted Gaara with Suiton: Mizurappa from all angles. Now soppy wet, silt covered, slow to react Gaara

Was hardly prepared for Naruto when the blonde stepped out of his shunpo Kaze no Doki howling in fury around his blade. Unfortunately for the blonde the danger present in his attack triggered Gaara's ultimate defense to yet again reinforce itself with youki laced chakra and adapt. This time completely covering Gaara in sand as well as provide a third appendage for the desert child to use.

Despite swing with all his might, not even Naruto's potent chakra could completely pierce the shield supported by Gaara and Shukaku's combined energies. Much to Gaara's surprise however, Naruto still managed to cut his forehead after his condensed wind chakra ground through half his tail and all of the sand-turned-silt on his face.

Roaring at the sight of his own blood in his eyes Gaara reared his arm back while gathering air and chakra into its gullet. Anticipating the Futon jutsu that would follow Naruto attempted to dodge via shunpo, only to have his efforts halted by a manically grinning Gaara. The tail, which he nearly cleaved in two, had quickly reformed and in devious ploy to trap his formed a demi-Desert Coffin over his hands while he was gaping at Gaara's attack.

Flaring his Reiki, Naruto pumped all of his available chakra into his Urate and prayed to Kami above that he would survive the next attack. And his prayers were answered in the form of a black haired beauty choosing that exact moment to counter Gaara's wind jutsu with a Suiton: Suigadan.

The water spikes formed from thin air, much like Haku's ice jutsu, and quickly converged at Gaara's mouth bypassing the blonde entirely and protecting him from the sand demon's attack. The two jutsu met with explosive force, spraying water everywhere. Fortunately for Naruto his Urate protected him from the worst of the damage.

'_Well better that than dead,'_ Naruto rationalized knowing that with as much chakra Gaara put behind that blast he very well may have ended up just a red stain on the forest floor. As fate would have it Naruto spoke too soon seeing as soon as the torrential surge subsided Gaara had already completed the motions for one dozy of a hit, only this time he'd taken to coating his arm with a lethal amount of wind chakra.

'_I won't make it in time,'_ Naruto realized, watching in slow motion as his shunpo path was directly in line with the freight train Gaara called a fist. However just as impact seemed imminent, Naruto found himself safely on a tree branch.

'_Substitution, but where's…'_ and then realization hit him. Haku replaced herself with him at the last moment, saving him from what could have, very well, been death. However in exchange, Haku found herself under the nonexistent mercy of the mad beast Gaara devolved into.

Feelings of rage and inadequacy consumed him, and unwittingly feed the hollow within his heart. However Naruto paid the eclipsing darkness no mind, instead focused what little coherency he had left on the captured girl before him.

"Haku!"

The boy's cry enticed a nigh-discernable whimper from the girl, which in turn only caused Gaara to grind her under his arm harder. Ushering forth his strongest Kuukigiri to date, only Gaara's insane laughter filled the air when his sandy limb was severed completely.

"Uzumaki there's only one way to free her from my sand…" Gaara taunted looking into Naruto's eyes as a familiar red began to creep into the corner of his eye. The gaze said it all and a fiendish grin Gaara completed his thought.

"-And that is to KILL ME!" The possessed boy roared before fully transforming into the Suna beast of legend.

Only to find that he wasn't the only one who'd undergone a change of his own.

---

"And so the true test begins," the red-haired spirit murmured before enveloping Naruto's consciousness under his power.

Read and Review

Jutsu Logue:

Suiton: Suigadan (Water Release: Water Fang Bullet): This jutsu creates a circle of crushing water spikes around the opponent. It is very difficult to evade, however it normally requires a sufficient water source nearby the target, but Haku is able to perform the jutsu without a nearby source because of her bloodline limit.

A/N: Finally finished! It's been a long time coming but the third installment of this arc is finally complete, and with that said JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER! Seriously though this next chapter will change everything in the fic thus far, not that the situation haven't been turned on its ear already.

So in an attempt to preempt some question (read accusations) regarding using Iruka, Rookie Nine sensei, Yugito, Anko, and Tenzo/Yamoto as the Vizards I'll say this. Rest assured this isn't just a Shocking Swerve (which is an actual TV Trope term) but more of a Chekhov's Gun, and there are a few legitimate reasons why I made them specifically Vizards. Albeit I gave me a reason to make Iruka kickass well as give them all reason to help Naruto, but also they serve as a measure for how long Kabuto has been plotting. The time frame when they were converted it would be sometime before Orochimaru defected by after the Fourth died, making all of the members between the ages of 8-14.

As always it twas a pleasure…

Black Saint

Completed: 12/28/09


	20. Author's Note

A/N: Sorry that there is no chapter, but in the wake of these last two chapters I thought it would be prudent to post this before the next.

Let me start by stating THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE IS NOT ABOUT REVIEW COUNT. Personally I find review count to be an inaccurate measure for the quality of the fanfiction in question, however I do realize that the do play a significant factor in which fics are read and which aren't. Fortunately I haven't posted this to debate on the necessary evils that come with reviews, but rather what I specifically am looking in a review.

To be concise the response for the last two chapter have been lackluster, by which I mean, there have been almost no reviews that critique myself as an author or ask any question in regards to the plot or direction the fic is going. As an author I can honestly say that the number of reviews I get a chapter don't matter to me, but a critique of what I can work on or what I am doing well are things that I crave to see with every chapter.

Seriously its mind blowing that within a few days more than a thousand people have read what I wrote, and its in fact humbling to know that anyone would take time out of their day to do so. However, despite how selfish of me it may be to ask, afterwards a comment on what your thoughts, concerns, questions, predictions, hell even what you hated (as long as its in a constructive form) would all welcome as forms to help me grow as an author. Which once again brings me to say that this isn't about review count, because as I sit here typing this I can easily imagine myself on the other side saying that this guy is just wants more reviews when really all I yearn for is a bit of constructive criticism.

Finally I'd like to reassure everyone reading this that I won't hold chapters hostage. I love writing way too much for that (in all honesty I've had to stop myself from starting 4 new fics in the past year). However if there is one thing I truly desire right now, it's to become a better writer and make quality fics for my fans to read. And to do that I know I'll your help as the readers to show where I can improve and what needs to be done.

So with the greatest and utmost amount of sincerity possible I'd like to say thank you: for every review, every alert, every favorite, and most of all for every hit that this and any other fic that you may have read.

Thank You and Will Update Soon

Black Saint


	21. Important Author's Note

Author's Note

Sorry about not having chapter again. But I'm here to regretfully inform you that I'm discontinuing this fic. Personally I'm mad at myself, because really this shouldn't have happened. However looking back I really did a botched job on the beginning and it's showing up brilliantly now that I'm trying to put together a plot without much of a foundation. No worries however I definitely still have a muse for a Naruto Bleach crossover, so if your interested look out for this fics soul successor.

Through the Shadow of Death

The first chapter will be out soon. Till then…

Black Saint


	22. Final Notice

Just a notice that the first chapter of Through the Shadow of Death is up. And once again thanks to everyone who's stuck with me all this time, your support means more than you'll ever know.

Black Saint


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